


The Bond We Share

by DiaHonkers



Series: FMA Body Sharing Universe [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Body Sharing AU, Bodysharing, Canon-Typical Violence, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Human Transmutation, Parental Riza Hawkeye, Parental Roy Mustang, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2019-10-04 23:05:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17313560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiaHonkers/pseuds/DiaHonkers
Summary: The Fullmetal Alchemist was a weird person. He joined the military at only 12 years old. But the weirder thing about him was that he changed personalities in the blink of an eye. One moment he could be screaming his head off at you and the other he would be profusely apologizing. He would constantly talk to himself, and his commanding officer didn't bat an eye. But what they didn't know that it wasn't just one person. It was two.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This concept was thought of by the user Amestris on Tumblr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired to write this by the post user Amestris made on Tumblr. I'd like to thank them immensely for giving me this opportunity.

The searing pain shot throughout his entire body. The burning sensation getting worse at each breath he took. The first thought that shot through his mind had been his mother. Did they do it? Did they succeed? Edward looked towards the middle of the room. His face crumpled in horror as he saw the humanoid figure where their mother should be. They had killed her once again. Ed screamed and began to look for his little brother to shield him from the horror he saw. His eyes scanned the room for his brother. Everything seemed to get fuzzy the more time that was spent looking for him. Where was Al? Edward began frantically looking around. Where was his brother?

His already shallow breath caught in his throat as he saw his brother's clothes laying on the floor without a body inhabiting them. His lip trembled and his eyes widened. His arms collapsed from under him as he crawled over, leaving a trail of blood behind of him.

He gripped his brother's clothes shaking. His head pounded as he searched for any kind of clue to bring back his brother. He had most likely been taken by the same thing that had taken his leg.

He paused as his mind put the puzzle pieces together. When he and his brother had been researching ways to bring their mother back they saw a theory of binding a human soul to an object.

Edward crawled over to the suits of armor the bastard had collected for some reason. He pushed against the legs to the closest one. It rocked but was stuck against its stand. Ed cursed to himself and tried the other only for the same thing to happen. He cursed to himself and began to look around for more options

There.

A knife sat astray at the edge of the transmutation circle, the residue of their blood still on the tip of the blade. He scrambled over, and ripped his shirt open and placed it where his left leg should be. He had to do this. He had to save Al. He would do anything it took to bring his brother back from that white hellscape. He was the only family he had left. He wouldn't let him suffer alone. It was his fault. He came up with the idea. He is the older brother. He should have protected him and he didn't. He had to fix this.

The knife slowly entered his chest. Ed grimaced and began to trail it in a circle. As it moved he screamed but continued against his conscience’s rejection. Blood trickled down his chest the more the knife cut through his skin.

Edward took a deep breath and slammed his hands together, placing them on the array.

Then everything went white for the second time that day.

* * *

 

Had the transmutation worked? That was the first thought in his mind when he woke up. Not a second later that the thought had crossed through his head did the burning pain shooting throughout his body made itself known. Alphonse screamed and put his remaining arm over the bleeding stump of his right shoulder. He looked down only to see another limb missing only being covered by a shirt.

Something had caught his attention, but he chose to ignore it in favor of stopping the bleeding. He made it over to his father's desk by pushing with his leg and pulling with his arm. He leaned up to open the drawer. It fell out of the desk, its contents spilling all over the floor.

Alphonse snatched the bandaged off of the floor and started to sloppily wrap them around his arm. They were loose and quickly soaking with blood. If only he had listened to the teacher turning health class when she mentioned this stuff.

After he patched the bleeding areas up, he moved towards the door. He reached up to open the door but slipped off. He stared at his hand. It looked as if his skin had turned a dark crimson color. He wiped the blood off his hand onto his pants and tried again. Now the doorknob was slippery with his blood.

Alphonse accepted his fate. He backed himself up to the door to rest on something and took deep breaths. This was it. He was going to die at the age of ten. The blood had begun to show itself on the top layers of the bandages. He was going to bleed to death.

Then a strange sight caught his eye. Clothes.

His clothes.

His mind traveled back to the symbol he had seen on his chest earlier. Confused, he tried to make out what the symbols in the transmutation circle had meant. Then his memory came back to him.

_(“Al!” his brother shouted, running across the room and pointing at an array in the book. “It’s some kind of array that lets you bind souls to objects!”_

_Alphonse stared at where his brother's finger pointed to. “That could be good, but I want to bring mom back. I want to give her hugs and kisses. It would be weird if our mother was a talking book or something!” He said laughing._

_Edward laughed as well. “Yeah!” Edward sat on the floor next to Al. “I can’t wait to see mom again.” He said smiling at his brother._

_“Me too.”)_

Al’s eyes widened and his head spun putting everything together. The more he paid attention, the more he realized that this was not his body. He was wearing his brothers pants and his skin was a different shade than it usually was.

Alphonse tilted his head back, tears trickling out of _his_ eyes.

What exactly did they do? 

* * *

 

The boys were late for breakfast. Again. Granny had made pancakes and they’ve already gone cold. They waited two hours for them to show up and they never did. Granny sent Winry over so she could give them a nice beating.

Sighing, she walked up to the doorstep and knocked on the door, waiting for one of the boys to answer. It was most likely to be Al. He was always up before his brother. Honestly, Ed needed to be more responsible.

She tapped her foot as she waited for him to answer. Had he not heard her? Or maybe they were up late in the study again and slept in.

Winry decided she would take it upon herself to take them out of their own fantasy world that was alchemy. The door creaked as it was pushed open. Winry scanned the house. There hadn't been any signs of the boys being up and active.

Winry shook her head and headed up the steps. Upon making it to the hallway she saw that their door was wide open.

“Ed! Al! It’s time to get u-.” She was cut off as she was greeted to two empty beds where she had assumed the boys would be.

The boy's beds suggested that they were awake, yet there was no sign of life within the house. She stalked down the steps and towards the study. They probably fell asleep reading. Again.

The floorboards squeaked under her tiny footsteps. There weren't any lights on, the only light stemming from under the curtain covering the window at the end of the hallway.

Winry reached for the doorknob but hesitated as something sticky was on the bottom of her shoe. Her eyes squinted as she saw some kind of stain on the floor. The clouds uncovered the sun outside for just a moment, giving enough light to show the puddle of drying blood.

Winry gasped and ripped the door open. An object fell loosely from behind the door and onto her shoes. She looked down to see the limp body of Edward Elric. He was missing an arm and a leg and his bandages were horribly wrapped.

Winry screamed and shook the unresponsive boy. Between her gulps for air, she picked the boy up and laid him across her back. Her grip slipped under the blood and from trying not to put any pressure on his wounds.

Winry rushed out the door as quick as she could. The boy bouncing with every stride she took. She ran down the dirt path as fast as she could, stumbling but never allowing herself to fall in concern for the boy. Her eyes teared up thinking of his limp body. He had shown no response and his breaths were shallow. She had no idea how long he had been like that. If it was all night, well, she didn’t want to think of it.

She stumbled up the green steps of her house and banged on the door. “Granny! Granny! Help!” She shrieked as loud as she could to get her grandmothers attention.

The door yanked open. “Winry what is it!?” She yelled, only to fall silent once her gaze set on the boy. The old woman stumbled back two steps but quickly regained her composure and grabbed the boy from her Granddaughters grasp.

* * *

 

Pinako cursed to herself as she ran to the medical room they used for automail surgeries. She laid the boy on the bed and discarded the bloody bandages. She looked at the end of the wound where blood oozed out. She made a note of the kids pale skin.

“Winry, he’s going to need a blood transfusion.” She whisked her head around to look her granddaughter in the eyes. “I need you to get Dr. Wells and some blood bags.” Her lips pursed as she turned back to the boy on the bed. Winry gave a quick ‘yes’ and ran out of the house.

She could tell his breaths became shorter and harder to take. She strapped an oxygen mask over his face and moved to his wounds. She dabbed antiseptic gel on them before she wrapped the bandages around his chest.

She stopped herself as she surveyed the alchemical array on his chest. She used one hand to keep the bandages in place and the other to grab a cotton ball to clean the wound. It had looked like a knife wound. There isn't a chance that Edward would do this to himself, so who in the world did this to her surrogate grandson.

She finished wrapping his chest, putting gauze on top of whatever was on his chest and moved to his leg. Her movements became ore shakey the more she moved. She already has lost too many children: Yuriy, Sarah, even Trisha. She wouldn’t allow any more to die.

* * *

 

Edward slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the bright lights above him. He heard a feminine gasp and feet rapidly running out of the room. As his eyes began to adjust to the light, he saw three figures walk over to the side of his bed.

“Edward, sweetie? Can you hear me?” An older woman's voice said. Once he processed that it was Pinako, he gave a light grunt in response. He heard a collective sigh throughout the room.

“Al…” He said, trailing off. He saw the two women in the room stiffen at the mention of his brother. His eyes shot wide open as he looked down at his chest covered in bandages. “Alphonse! Alphonse!” Edward screamed as he ripped the bandages off of his chest.

The man in the room, was that Dr. Wells? Held his hand from ripping any more at his chest. “Edward. Take a deep breath. Count to ten with me, alright?” He said in a soothing voice, staring him straight in the eyes.

Ed’s mind was elsewhere. He needed Dr. Wells to get the hell off of him so he could make sure his brother was ok. His heart fell into his stomach at the thought. What if the transmutation hadn't worked? His lip quivered as he thrashed against the force holding him down.

The room was filled with frantic yells telling him to stop. There was no way he would stop until he knew his little brother was alright. He needed his brother. He didn't know what he would do without him.

 _“Brother...I’m alright.”_ A voice said. _“Please stop freaking out. I'm alright. I ’m here. Listen to Dr.Wells and Granny. They know what to do.”_ Ed’s heart seemed to stop as his brother's voice emanated through his mind.

The boy started to laugh. Tears ran down his face and his whole body rejected the movement, but he laughed.

His brother was safe. And that was all that mattered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3/15/19: I've rewritten this chapter to make it better and in my opinion, better. I hope that is alright!
> 
> (I promise that the later chapters are better)


	2. Chapter 2

The first time Edward fell asleep was scary. He found himself in a dark room that seemed to go on forever. The lack of noise in the area was unsettling and sent chills down his spine. As he examined himself, he had his right arm and left leg back where they should be. His back straightened as he heard echoing footsteps approaching him. 

“Brother…?” A small voice croaked. Edwards' eyes widened at the voice. His frightened eyes began to blur with tears as he had an inkling of who the voice belonged to. It sounded scared but surprised. “Brother, is that you?” The voice continued.

Edwards head slowly turned, the rest of his body following shortly after that. He blinked a few times before taking a single step forward, his breath quickening. He took another. And another. And another. When he approached the boy in front of him, he stood there for a second. The boy had golden hair and soft, round golden eyes, his facial structure the same as his mothers had been.

Edward slowly raised his right hand and placed it softly on the boy's chest and felt the thump of a heartbeat. Alphonse smiled softly, his lip quivering as he looked at his brother. Edward’s knees buckled and he fell to the ground. His hands found his face, catching the tears that spilled from his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” he croaked. His little brother kneeled down in front of him and pulled him into a hug. He rested his head on his older brother’s shoulder and shook. His tears landing onto his shoulder as the sobs became louder.

The two stayed like that for a while, the emotions being too strong for either of them to handle. Edward had not gotten much time to think about the current situation, but Alphonse had plenty of time. His brother spent his time without being able to do anything. He simply stared wherever his brother looked. He could not feel anything or control anything. He was empty, losing himself in his thoughts, it was the last thing he had to himself.

“Alphonse..” Edward said, breaking the silence. He backed up and placed both his hands on Al’s shoulders. His face was red and puffy from crying for an unknown amount of time. He managed to bring a smile to his face. He studied his brothers face like it was the most amazing piece of art in the world. His arms fell to his sides and he looked to the ground. “It’s all my fault.” He whispered.

Al’s face scrunched up. “It’s not.” He said taking his brothers hands into his own. “We both decided to do this. It’s my sin as much as it is yours.” He stared at his brother's hands. He had both of them. It was his fault he didn’t have one of them anymore. His grip tightened as he looked back up at him.

Edward looked into his brother's eyes with sorrow. How could he be this forgiving? It was his fault he no longer had a body. He had his baby brothers soul ripped from his body. He’s ten for god's sake and he can’t even have a normal childhood.

“Alphonse. Why?” He said, his head tilting. “How can you even begin to be this forgiving?” His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes closed with tears threatening to run down his face. 

“Because it’s not your fault.”

Edward’s eyes slowly opened as he looked back at his brother. “Al…” He started before his hand started to disintegrate just like it had just earlier that day. His brothers face turned to a look of horror as he recalled watching his own arm disappear before his eyes.

“Brother!”

“Alphonse!”

* * *

 

Edward’s eyes shot open as his head whipped back and forth around the room. Winry had been sleeping on the side of the bed slumped over in a chair. Startled, she fell backwards and onto the floor. She took a few seconds to regain her composure before she was aware of Edward’s cried for his brother.

Winry scurried up from the floor and placed a hand on Ed’s “Edward? Calm down” She said stroking his hand. “It was a dream. Everything’s ok. You’re safe. Take some deep breaths”

Taking in the sights around him, his heart rate slowed down as he followed Winry’s breaths. He slipped his hand out of Winry’s grasp and rested it on his chest where the array was carved. Winry helped him nurse a drink of water before sitting back down, sitting in silence. Edward’s hand never moved away from his chest and Winry stared at her palms. Ed’s gaze towards his chest was dull and dead. He looked like he was an empty shell of a person.

“What happened?” she said silently, breaking the silence. Ed’s gaze slowly hovered to where she was sitting. She had changed her clothes from the muddy and blood covered pink dress, to a simple set of blue pajamas covered in little bunnies.

She couldn't bring herself to look at the crippled boy. Her best friend looked so hollow. Her mind had trouble connecting the broken hollow boy to her childhood friend who laughed and played with her every day. And his brother, she didn’t even know where he was. The boy was gone and couldn't be found. The news had spread around town and search parties began looking for him, but there was no sign of the little boy.

_ ‘Are you going to tell her, Brother?’ _ Al asked. Edward jumped in surprise. It was weird having a voice in your head that didn't belong to you. Something that wasn’t a thought, but an entirely different person with their own soul.

“I don’t know.” He responded. “How the hell are we supposed to explain this?” The boy chuckled sadly. Winry’s ears perked up as she heard him talking to himself. She slowly raised her head towards the boy who was speaking straight to his chest.

“Ed? What are you doing?” Winry questioned. The boy stiffened and turned his pained eyes towards her. He looked to the side, avoiding her stare.

_ ‘We should tell her. She deserves to know. We can trust her.’ _

Ed nodded and swallowed. He turned to look her straight in her blue eyes. Her whole face was red and puffy from countless hours of crying. Winry managed to bring a smile to her face to try and cheer him up a bit.

“Well-”

‘ _ It may be easier for me to explain it to her. At least the parts that have to do with our current...situation _ .’ Al butted in. Edward’s lips formed a line and rested his head deeper against the pillow. He closed his eyes as he felt control seeping away. As he was drifting into a deep sleep.

“Winry” Ed’s voice chokes out. It was softer and sweeter than usual. It didn’t quite match his usual voice but was not his brother's normal voice either. It sounded as if his brother had reversed through puberty and had a different personality. Alphonse touched his neck, marveling at the fact that he heard his brothers voice rather than his own while he was talking.

Al almost forgot that Winry was in the room as he examined  _ himself _ . The medicine must have dulled the pain, but it was still very present. He looked at  _ his _ arm, the skin was different from his own. It was darker from hours spent in the sun. Al almost laughed. His brother always did tan faster than he did.

_ Al’s _ eyes shot open as he remembered the girl sitting next to the bed. She looked at the boy with concern and confusion. Of course she did. He looked like Ed and was looking at  _ himself _ like it was the first time he had ever seen himself.

“Hi, Winry.” Was all he managed to croak out. 

“Hi...Ed.” She said slowly. She licked her lips and took a deep breath. “Are you alright? Do you...remember anything from the past five minutes?”

Al looked to the wall opposite from Winry. “I'm not Edward,” he said,  _ his  _ voice flat and voice of emotion. “I'm Alphonse.” The boy chuckled sadly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Weird, isn't it?”

“Alright…” she said slowly rising from her chair. “I'm just going to see granny for a second. I’ll be right back.”

“No!” Al cried as he clasped around her wrist with  _ his _ remaining arm he almost screamed as the jolting irritated the raw skin from  _ his  _ stumps. “I may sound crazy, but I'm not. I really am Alphonse.” He said through gritted teeth as he brought  _ his _ hand to  _ his _ chest. He slowly ripped pulled at the bandages covering the soul bind. He felt bile rise in his throat from the pain as the bandages a pulled at  _ his _ shoulder.

Winry gasped as she went to stop him. As she got close, he pushed her away with all his strength, which wasn't much, and pulled up the bandages to show a circle carved into his chest. “That’s alchemy, isn't it? Who did it to you? Do you remember?” She said studying it. Her eyes were wide in horror at the sight of a wound that was red, raw, and bleeding how fresh it was.

“Brother did it to himself. It’s an array that can bind a soul to something. “We-” He trailed off.  _ His _ breath quickened as the memories came back and he relived the catastrophe that was their failed transmutation. He squeezed  _ his  _ eyes shut and blinked away the tears that pricked at the edge of  _ his  _ eyes. He took a deep breath and looked Winry straight in the eyes. She needed an explanation. “We tried to bring mom back. Brother lost his leg and my entire body was ripped away. Brother sacrificed his arm to pull my soul back.” The tears finally let loose and streamed down  _ his _ face as he continued. “We just wanted to see her smile again.”

Winry blinked and gently put the bandages back into their place. She sat back in her chair and rubbed her temples. “Edward...Please stop…” She said as her lips trembled 

“I can prove it.. remember when Granny made that house call to East City and mom watched you? I accidentally walked in on you in the bathroom and you slapped me so hard I flew out of the room into the wall?” He said, a sad smirk appearing on  _ his _ face. 

Winry’s body froze as she looked back at the boy. “I’m sure Alphonse told you tha-“ she started.

Alphonse shook  _ his  _ head and started to rattle off secrets and experiences the two had together. Things that she had made him promise to never tell anyone. Al didn't lie, he never did. Especially not to Winry and Edward.

Winry’s body started to shake and her hands balled up in her blonde hair. She stared straight at the floor with wide, frightened eyes. Her sobs filled the room as Al looked at her,  _ his _ eyes full of sorrow. He placed  _ his _ hand on her back and rubbed circles as she cried.

“How...What is going...what’s happened to you two ?!” She said, her wet face looking back up at him. It was obvious that she was still hesitant to believe him, but asked him anyway.

“Win, it’s my fault,” Edward said, forcing his soul to take control back. “It’s my fault...” he trailed off. His throat bobbed as he looked at his childhood best friend who now knew the sins the brothers had committed.

Winry shook her head in disbelief. She rested her head on the mattress and sighed. A hand rested on her head. She tensed up but soon fell into the touch as it started to play with her hair. Winry smiled into the mattress and closed her eyes.

“What am I supposed to do with you two idiots?” She said with a wet laugh. “What am I supposed to do with you two…?”

* * *

 

Edward Elric had never been one to sit still. Being in antagonizing pain and missing two limbs didn’t help him move around. He had begged Granny and Winry for weeks, telling them he was fine and that they could strap on a prosthetic. They all, including his brother, yelled at him, telling him to rest and that he needed to heal.

So the day that he was finally allowed out of bed was almost like a dream.

They hadn’t allowed him to practice walking with a prosthetic and a crutch. Instead, Winry had cradled him in her arms like a baby.

“I can walk on my own.” He grumbled under his breath as Winry carried the all too light boy out of the house, giving him his first breath of fresh air in weeks.

Winry sighed “Ed, I really don’t know if this is too soon, but if you hadn’t noticed, you’re missing two limbs.” She said as she shook her head at the stubborn boy.

Ed groaned. “Yeah, like I haven’t noticed that. But I’m telling you, I heal fast! I need to get back up on my feet as fast as I can,” He paused “Metaphorically speaking.”

Winry cracked a smile as she laid the small boy down on the picnic blanket Granny had set out for them in the shade under the big oak tree in front of the house.

Edward’s eyes went still as he stared out to the view. He had seen this scene millions of times growing up. But after everything that day, he realized he had taken everything for granted. He had been stuck in a sterile room filled with the smell of antiseptics for so long. He had forgotten how nice it was for the breeze of fresh air to fill your lungs.

“Ed….” A voice called from the distance. “Ed…..Ed!”

Suddenly he snapped out of his daze. Winry was snapping her fingers in front of his face, looking at him concerned. Her blue eyes stared straight into his golden ones. He felt a blush spread across his face as she put a hand on his forehead to feel his temperature.

“Hey, you ok? We should go back inside…”

“Nah…” he trailed off “I'm fine, I  just zoned out.”

Winry closed her eyes and shook her head as she plopped down next to him. “Jeez, you scared the crap out of me!” She exclaimed.

Ed laughed at the normality in her voice. He’d grown so tired of the looks of pity and tones of sorrow wavering from the mouths of the neighbors who paid him a visit and attempted to give him company and cheer him up. He may be different now, much, much more different, but he was still him. He was still Ed.

The two sat there chatting for a while. He had allowed Al to take over to interrupt the conversation to give his input. It was much easier that way, it was evident how happy he was when he was in control. Edward had been in control most of the time since their transmutation. He wasn’t going to subject his little brother to the agonizing pain he brought on himself. Each time he begged to be in control -to feel again, to taste again, to breathe again, to move at his own will again - it broke his heart more.

Ed mentally smiled as he listened to his brother's enthusiastic voice while he talked to Winry about this new book they had recently read. He wished that he could see it. The smile on his face, his eyes glowing in bliss. But for now, he was content with only hearing the ten year old act like a kid again.

Maybe things would get better from here on out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be frank, this is probably the best work I've ever done. I've never written a chapter that was over 1500 words, and I made it to 2000. It has made me so extremely happy to see the comments that people have been leaving on this story. I have never felt so motivated and so proud. It's made me so happy. My heart always speeds up when I see I have something in my inbox. I'm not sure if it is because it is FanFiction Comment Writing Month, or the fact that people are genuinely enjoying this story. Thank you so much
> 
> Feedback is appreciated
> 
> Edit: Updated on 6/2/2019


	3. Chapter 3

The smell of sheep and farmland wafted through the air. They bumped around as the wagon ran over rocks laid astray on the dirt path. Their legs hung off the back, the dust from the road kicking up onto their boots.

“So ya’ two are apart of the military are ya?” The driver said, turning around in his seat and leaving the directions to the horse. The male officer looked up from the paperwork he was scanning over, casually holding it out to the female next to him, who took the papers and began to sort them back into order.

“Yes. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, and this is 2nd Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye” He said, gesturing towards the woman who gave a polite smile. The man glanced over them, taking in the sights of their badges positioned on his outfit.

“I see, so what brings ya’ out here exactly?” He asked, shifting his gaze to the papers the 2nd Lieutenant was holding.

“Our reports here say that there is a very talented alchemist in this town. His name is...Edward, I believe.” Roy said, running his hands through his thick black hair. Riza sat next to him and quietly nodded, putting the papers in her lap, slightly shifting her body to face the two men.

The driver scoffed and looked away, focusing his sights on the path in front of them. “The military’s that desperate, eh? Tryin’ to recruit a lil’ orphaned kid.” The two officers looked at each other with confused looks. Riza opened the file and started to review the papers she held in her lap.

“This here says that Edward is in his thirties, perhaps you are thinking of the wrong person?” Riza said, looking up from the files and towards the driver.

The man shut his eyes and shook his head. “There ain't any other Ed’s here in Resembool, let alone alchemists. That boy and his brother were the only two in the town. And now, well, they ain't doin any alchemy any time soon.”

“What do you mean by ‘were’?” Roy asked, his eyebrows curling upwards in curiosity. The man turned back around and looked him straight in the eyes, a serious look on his face.

“I mean they ain't doin’ no alchemy any time soon. Ed was in some kinda accident, won't tell us what happened, got two limbs left now. And his brother, well, he ain't anywhere to be found. Trust me, the whole town’s looked everywhere in a five mile radius. He ain’t popped up.” The mans face softened with sadness at the thought of the missing boy. He turned back around and looked at the passing grass fields. “They were good kids. Troublemakers the two of ‘em. But they’d help fix stuff up ‘round the town with that alchemy of theirs."

“Well, if it’s a missing persons case, we can't just ignore it. Can you take us to their house? We should check it out first before meeting Edward” The Lieutenant Colonel said, looking to his subordinate, who nodded in agreement.

“We appreciate the help...” The man said quietly, a small smile plastered on his face. The three of them sat in silence on the way to the Elric household. The only sound to be heard was the sheep grazing across the fields.

The cart came to an abrupt stop as they reached a hill. “We’re here.” the man said with a grunt. Roy and Riza hopped off the back of the cart and gave the man a quick thank you. As the man pulled away from the bottom of the hill, the two proceed to head up it.

 

As the white house rose over the horizon, they began to get a good look of the weed covered lawn. Moss had started to make its way up the side of the brick, and the garden in the backyard was long dead and withered. It was obvious that there had been no activity in the area for weeks.

Roy slowly turned the knob of the wooden door, pressing his body against it to get through the old door, stuck against the door frame. The door swung open and the pair were greeted to a breath full of dust and slowly rotting produce from the kitchen.

“Nobody’s been here for quite some time” Riza said, walking over to the basket of apples, pinching her nose to avoid the smell. Roy nodded and looked around. The couch was covered in dust, slowly being eaten by moths.

“Let’s take a look around.” Roy said, turning to his subordinate. The woman nodded and followed him up the stairs. Ste steps creaked as they went upstairs,walking in a single file line. There were pictures hanging on the walls. Two boys and a brown haired woman in a purple dress and apron. There was a little girl who popped up in a few of the pictures, with an old woman smoking a pipe.

The two continued up the steps, continuously getting distracted by the pictures hung up. “What do you think happened to this family? They seem so...happy.” Riza said, breaking the silence, taking a picture off the wall of the two golden haired boys and presumably their mother, her arms wrapped around their shoulders, their eyes squinted from the wide smiles on their faces.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. From what that man said, the two boys hadn’t been acting weird, it’s a tight knit town, they would have noticed if something was off.” He said, passing an open door in the hallway. He poked his head in, and when the coast was clear, he walked inside. It was a child's room. Two beds pressed against the wall, a nightstand in between them. One side of the room was pristine while the other was a mess. The two checked inside the drawers, under the beds, and behind curtains. There was no sign of an attack anywhere to be seen. Nothing seemed off. It was a normal children's bedroom.

The two backed out of the room, closing the door behind them. The next room in the hallway was the bathroom, where once again, there was nothing to be seen. 

The last room was at the end of the hallway. The door opened easily to show the big room, perfect in every corner. There were white, wilted flowers in a vase next to the bed. There were once again, countless pictures of the woman and the two boys within the room. The room seemed to have been dustier than the rest, an obvious indication that this room was rarely used. The closet and drawers were all empty, filled with clothes and little drawings the two children must have made.

The two exited the room and headed back down the stairs. “Sir, there isn't any signs of anything happening. Not in the living room and kitchen, not upstairs either. Maybe the boy ran away?” Riza said, following her commanding officer down the steps.

Roy shook his head “There's still rooms down here, there could be signs the-” The man stopped mid-sentence as he entered the living room. The woman looked at him curiously as he bent down to the ground. She quickly saw what he was seeing. Drops of blood, not much, but a certain indication of something happening. The pair's eyes traced the trail of blood to the hallway they had yet to check.

The two stood up and walked as fast as they could, following the trail. They stopped in front of a door, a dry pool of blood coming from under it. Roy slammed the door open. The blood was worse inside. Pools and trails of it everywhere. There was a bloody knife on the ground next to a piece of chalk. Further into the room was a big circle, a transmutation circle. Roy slowly walked towards it and read the symbols inside it. His eyes widened and his breath was cut short as he put the pieces together of what these symbols meant.

“It’s a transmutation circle.” Riza said, bending down to swipe her finger across the chalk. Her finger never touched the ground.

“Don’t touch it!” Roy yelled, pulling her hand back and stepping away from the chalk on the ground. The two stumbled back, falling onto one another. Riza gave her commanding officer a puzzled look. His face filled with fear.

“Human transmutation.” He whispered under his breath, barely loud enough for the woman to hear. Her eyes grew wide as her gaze swept back to the circle. “We need to find those boys.” He said standing up, offering a hand to his subordinate.

The two were quickly out of the house and on the dirt road headed to the Rockbell’s house. The man had mentioned that Edward had been staying with their family friend. The two walked frantically down the path, drawing the attention of surrounding sheep farmers tending to the livestock.

The town was already wary of the military, and two officers quickly walking to god knows where did not settle their anxieties. Many of the farmers stopped what they were doing, calling out to the two, asking what was wrong, to tell them what they were doing. The two ignored the residents, walking straight past them and out of sight.

* * *

Lunch was quiet that day. A wave of shock and depression had hit them out of nowhere, leaving them all silently eating the sandwiches Granny had prepared for them. Edward had been whispering to himself, talking to his brother. As much as Winry wanted to pry, she didn't, and attempted to shift her focus to the taste of the sandwich.

The knock at the door snapped everyone out of their own world. “I'll get it.” Granny said, tapping her ashes out into a tray and sliding out of her seat, walking into the other room and out of sight

The two children looked at each other. It was most likely another neighbor bringing some kind of gift to help the Rockbells take care of Edward, and to check up on how he was doing. The two knew the drill by now. It happened at least two times a week. The kids put their food down, and silently, Winry gently lifted Ed out of the chair and back into his wheelchair.

“Get back here! What are you doing barging in here?!” Grannys voice yelled. The two looked at each other, fear in their eyes. Ed nodded as to let Winry know it was alright. She slowly pushed the wheelchair over towards the commotion, almost running straight into a man in a military uniform.

Granny followed behind them, quickly running to the kid's side, glaring at the two officers standing in their dining room.

“Are you Edward Elric?” The man's voice said, breaking the silence of everyone staring at one another. The boy's sad eyes glared up toward the man. It was not said, but obvious that it was the boy he had been looking for.

The man picked Ed up by his shirt, causing a yelp to escape from his mouth. “What the _fuck_ was that?” The man questioned, anger and strictness in his voice. The woman behind him stood straight, her eyes widened in surprise at what was happening.

“Don’t touch him there!” Winry yelled as she ran over to the man, tugging on his arm. He looked down and sighed, lowering the boy towards the chair. Granny and Winry’s breaths were cut short as Ed’s shirt picked up a bit, giving the man full view of the array carved into his chest.

“We’re sorry.” Ed said, his whole body shaking. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the side of the wheelchair. The room had gone cold and silent, the only words cutting through the air were the constant apologies.

“Please..don’t punish us…” His shaky voice said, higher and more filled with fear. Quickly the boy's eyes went from sad to terrified to angry all in the span of a few seconds. “What are you doing?!” His hissed, his voice quivering.

 _‘He’s going to find out anyways. It’s best we just get this over with…’._ Edwards' lip started to quiver. He shut his eyes, frustrated, he had no idea what he could possibly do to avoid it at this point. How he could protect his little brother, to keep their secret. He rose his head and looked directly at the soldier in front of him.

The man stared at Ed. A baffled look on his face. He bit his lip and took a deep breath. “Explain.” He said as he took a seat at their dining room table, staring right into the golden eyes of the young boy.

Edward gulped as he began to retell his experience. Their planning since the day of their mothers funeral, the training they went through with their teacher, studying every bit of information there was to be known about human transmutation, the second the two put their hands on the circle, the hands coming out and grabbing the boys, watching his little brothers body disappear into nothingness.

Then he had let Alphonse do some talking. The only thing he could feel was fear as he was sucked back into his mind, losing control and loss of feeling.

As _Al’s_ eyes fluttered open, he looked at the man and smiled. “It’s uh...nice to meet you I guess?” He said cocking _his_ head a bit. “I'm Alphonse Elric...and well, as my brother explained to you, we uh….we’re sharing his body now..” He said, a nervous giggle escaped from _his_ lips.

The man looked surprised, as if he hadn't believed them up until now. _His_ voice did get softer compared to his brothers, and their personalities contrasted like light and day. The man placed his face in his hands and sighed.

“So do you believe us now?” He asked, placing his hand in his lap and looking at him with a serious gaze. The man took a deep breath, processing everything that the boys had just told him.

“What do you two plan to do now?” He said, looking up from his hand, which was still rested under his lips.

“We plan to get Al’s body back.” Ed said, cutting in, with strict seriousness in his voice.

“And your arm and leg back! We talked about this, brother!” Al said, arguing back.

The two boys went back and forth like that for a while. The man's eyes slowly blinking as the whole ordeal went on. Winry cracked a slight smile as he watched the two boys bicker.

“Well.” The man started, resting his arms on the table and folding his hands. The boys stopped fighting and focus their attention on him. “I have an offer for you two. Become a State Alchemist. Sell your souls to the military. You’ll get access to military documents and books not accessible to the public. I’m sure if you have access to them...you’ll get your bodies back.”

“Are you crazy!?” Pinako said, walking up to where the man was sitting. “They’re ten and eleven and have been through _so much shit_ as of late, and you’re inviting them to join the military?!”

“Yes I am”

Winry’s lip quivered as she watched Ed fall back into his chair and look up at the at the ceiling with surprised, dead eyes.

“2nd Lieutenant Hawkeye. We’re leaving.” The man said, getting up from his chair and grabbing his jacket. “Call this number when you decide what you want to do.” He said, sliding a piece of paper onto the table that read _‘Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, East City Headquarters, xxx-xxx-xxxx’_.

“You’re sick” The older woman growled as she snatched the piece of paper and shoved it into her pocket. She turned away and ushered Winry to take Ed back to his room.

The man stood up and slung his coat over his shoulders. He walked out of the room, the lady straight on his heels. Pinako walked to the door frame and watched them leave the house and making sure they left her sight as they fell over the hill, eaten by the horizon.

* * *

 

The two boys sat in silence in the darkness of the mental room. Neither of them said a word. Alphonse stared into his lap and Edward stared off into the nothingness.

“What are you going to do, Brother?” Al said, looking up from his lap.

“It’s for both of us to decide. It’s your body too after all.” Ed started, turning his gaze to his younger brother”  We have to do things together. More than we used to. We go where the other goes. We can’t disagree on plans anymore.”. He took a deep breath and looked straight into his brother's eyes. “If it was up to me. Id take the opportunity.”

Alphonse bit his lip and nodded. “I think it’s our only option at this point. We would get the most resources through them. The only price is giving up our lives to follow their command.”

“So be it. We’ll join the military. I’ll have Granny give me a new set of automail limbs. Once I get them, we’ll get your body back in no time.”

“You know Winry and Granny won't be happy with us doing that. We don’t even know if they’ll comply to give you automail. We could be stuck here for a while…” Al said, standing up to sit next to his brother, giving his right arm a light poke.

 

“They’ll do it. If they won't, we find someone else that will. We’ll find a way to do this. We will join the military. And I will get your body back.” Ed said, fire burning in his golden eyes. He would do whatever it takes to fix his mistakes, for taking away his brothers chance at living a normal childhood, for all the shit he’s done. He will fix it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to my beta reader, @Chanceldont on IG, for helping me make this chapter the best it could possibly be!  
> Follow me on Tumblr for updates @KatelynWrites!  
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> 
> Thank you all so much for the amazing feedback. It has boosted my confidence so much it's not even funny. Thank you for making me want to continue this story! I hope this is up to your expectations. I have been trying really hard to make the best content I can possibly make, so I hope that I was able to do that!  
> Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta reader 

“What are you thinking? Are you serious?!” Winry said, her eyes widening to their full extent. She looked at the crippled boy sitting up in the hospital bed, bandages wrapping around his torso and right shoulder. He stared her dead in her eyes, his golden eyes filled with determination.

Winry sighed. “Ed,” She said softly. “That’s way too dangerous. Your nerves only just fully healed, they’ll still be way too sensitive for surgery.”. She rested her hand on his remaining flesh one. She looked at him. Her blue eyes were gentle, full of worry for the boy.

“If you won't do it, then we’ll go and find someone who will.” He said, swallowing as he hoped that she did not see through his bluff. They couldn't even walk to the tree outside and back, let alone ride a train to a whole new town.

Winry rested a hand on her forehead as she sighed and slumped back into a chair. “What am I going to do with you” She mumbled to herself. She looked up at her grandmother with a questioning gaze. The old woman bit her lip, her chin resting between her thumb and index finger.

“You won’t take no for an answer, will you.” She huffed, folding her arms. “We’ll do it, but it’s gonna be painful, not to mention the rehabilitation will take at least three years.” She said as she looked at the frail boy sitting in the bed.

“One.” He blurted out.

Pinako blinked at him and leaned forward. “Excuse me?” She questioned the boy. The boy sat up and stared straight at the lady.

“I said I’ll do the rehab in one year.” He said with the same determination that filled his eyes. Pinako’s eyes widened as her mind processed the insanity the boy had just suggested.

“Are you kidding me!? There is no way we could let you do that! That’s way dangerous!” Winry yelled, jumping out of her seat. Edward winced at the loud noise and Winry sat back once more. “Ed, I know you’re anxious to get Al’s body back, but that would be way too dangerous, especially the fact that it would be before your nerves have even fully healed.” 

 _‘Brother. You don’t need to push yourself for my sake. I can wait. We...We share your body now. We need to take care of it as best as we can.’_ Alphonse butted in. His voice was soft and pleading. But Ed couldn’t listen to him. His brother was on the missing persons list. People think he’s gone. He can’t just let his brother suffer like that.

“No.” Ed retorted in response to the two other kids present. “I’ll do it. Granny, please.” Edward said, one final time. His voice was desperate, his eyes had turned back to its sad form. His brows furrowed in anticipation of the old woman's response.

Pinako scratched her head. “Ugh...Fine! But this won't be easy you know!” She said, her hands moving to her hips. “I’m going to start dinner. You, be good. I'll..” She paused for a second. “Ill get everything you need for the surgery. I'll let you know when we can do it.”

The crippled boy smiled in his bed as the old woman walked out of the room. Soon, he would be on a train to central. Soon, he will get his brothers body back. Soon, he would fix all of his mistakes. “Just be patient Al. I'll get your body back soon.” He mumbled for only he and his brother to hear.

Edwards blood-curdling screams emanated throughout the house. Every tube that was inserted and removed from his arm only let his cries of pain get worse. His breath was heavy as he panted, trying to prepare for the next instance of implementing a tube into his arm and taking another out.

Winry’s lips quivered as she dunked the fresh washcloth into the water basin and rung it out. She lightly removed the one on his forehead and laid the new one in its spot. She looked at his face. His eyebrows furrowed and eyes squeezed tight. He bit down on a cloth that only muffled his screams.

“Now we let that sit for a while.” Pinako said, inhaling as she wiped her forehead. She removed the cloth from his mouth and he started panting, grimacing in pain with each breath he took.

Winry walked over and brushed his bangs back behind his ear like she had seen his mother do so many times before. Her thumb lingered on his temple as she lightly rubbed it in an attempt to comfort him.

“Mom…” He mumbled. He moved his shaking hand and placed it on Winry’s. “I'm sorry...I'm sorry…” He continued. “I killed you again….I'm making Al suffer….It’s all my fault….I'm sorry....”. Tears began to fall from his eyes. 

 _‘Brother...It’s not your fault...I’ve never once thought that. Please, let me take over for a bit...you need a break…’_ Alphonse said, his voice quaking.

 “Mom...I don’t know what to do...I’m scared...I don’t know what to do..”. He opened his eyes a tiny bit and stared up and the blonde girl hovering over him. His eyes watered as he slowly moved his hand up to her. “Mom…”. He mumbled as he rested his hand on Winry’s cheek. His eyes clenched once again as a bolt of pain shot through his body. He moved his hand and grasped the sheets. “I'm so sorry...It’s all my fault…”.

“Edward...I’m sure he doesn't blame you and I'm sure he’s told you that...Please…” Winry butted in, tears spilling from her sapphire eyes.

“It’s time.” Pinako said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. She handed Winry a cloth. Winry’s small hands grasped it as tight as she could. She closed her eyes and placed it in Edward’s mouth. He instinctively bit down it he anticipated the pain returning. 

The muffled screams of pain once again emanated throughout the house as the surgery continued.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since the surgery. Edward had spent most of his time lying in bed with a high fever and terrible aching pains. Now, he sat on the couch in the living room, holding a cup of water up to his mouth as he took a sip. 

“They’re done! They’re done!” Winry said as she ran into the room, a metal arm bouncing in her clutches. Pinako walked out of the room, holding a metal leg and smiling at the excited girl.

Edward’s eyes widened as he slowly sat himself up. His gaze fixated on the metallic glow of his new arm. His breath caught as his mind rushed with thoughts. A wide grin grew on his face as she gave her a thumbs up. “It...looks awesome!” He exclaimed, making the excited girl's smile grow wider.

 _‘Brother...your new arm! Your new arm that Winry made! I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so excited!’_ Al chanted in his head. Edward chuckled at his little brother's excitement for the metal arm.

“Granny helped me with your leg, but I built the arm all by myself!” She said jumping from foot to foot. The old woman chuckled as she patted her granddaughter on the shoulder and walked over to the boy. 

“This is gonna hurt, and you might pass out. Are you sure you want both installed today?” The woman asked as she bent down to his port and began to line the leg up.

Edward nodded. “Nothing I haven't felt before.” He said, chuckling in a sarcastic manner. “Plus, I need to start rehab as soon as I can.” He huffed as he stared at the calendar on the wall. It had already been four months since the transmutation, and two since mustang had visited them with his offer. He bit his lip as he thought about how much time Al had already spent without a body to call his own. 

“Alright...Now line it up and slowly put it in the port.” Pinako said as she taught Winry how to install the automail. Once she had given her granddaughter all the information she needed, she moved back to her position at the end of Ed’s stump.

“On the count of three.” The woman said as she got her tools prepared. Edward bit his lip and closed his eyes as he gripped the couch to help with the pain.

The second his nerves connected to the automail, he felt a shot of pain go through his entire body. He became hot but cold at the same time. He felt like he was gasping, but had no breath at all. His body shook as the pain slowly started to subside.

“Al….Check it out! We have an arm!’ Edward practically yelled. He sat back and gave control to his brother.

 _Al’s_ eyes shot open as he came into consciousness. He brought _his_ arm up to feel the newly attached metal one. He gasped as it felt cold under his touch. _His_ mouth curled into a smile as he admired it. 

“I wonder if I-” He started, only to jump back in pain. He had tried to lift one of the fingers. The feeling that his brother had felt returned and shot through _his_ body. As soon as it came, it disappeared once again.

“It will take some time for you two to be able to move it properly. That's what the rehab is for.” Pinako exclaimed, her hands on her hips and a freshly lit pipe in her mouth. She walked into the surgery room and came back out with a sling. “This is to help you until you’re able to move it.” She said as she lifted the metal arm up and placed it in the sling.

Al couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as granny lifted up the arm. It hadn’t occurred to him that he wouldn't be able to feel anything. He sighed and closed _his_ eyes as he realized how much more difficult their journey would be than he anticipated.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deeply apologize that this has taken a month to update. The new semester started, and the class I used to right chapters in, I no longer have. I am also sorry that this chapter is a lot shorter. I had been very focused on making sure everything would fit with the canon of the series. Thank you for taking the time to read this! I appreciate it! I hope to update soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to my beta reader [Chalcedont](https://instagram.com/chalcedont?igshid=1k2lfr3bj7gsu)!

Metal hit wood as his automail arm hit the dummy that he had carved as practice for getting his motor skills back. Edward stood back, a smirk plastered on his face. He bounced back from foot to foot, feeling out his balance.

“I think it’s finally good!” He said, placing his hands on his hips, admiring the dents he put in the dummy

 _‘Good job, Brother!”_  Al exclaimed.

Ed gave a laugh. “I know! We’re almost back in shape!” He said as he flexed and admired his growing muscles.

 _‘That means we’re ready doesn't it, Brother?’_ Alphonse said, his voice turning earnest.

Edward’s bangs covered his eyes as his gaze fell downwards, his smirk changing to a somber smile. “Yeah, it does.” He said as he took a deep breath and stretched. “I really did a number on that dummy. I’ll need those kinds of moves if I’m going to be a State Alchemist.” He said as he whipped his head around to face it.

 _‘We haven't done alchemy since that day...can we...even still do alchemy? With an automail arm and all?’_ Alphonse questioned. Ed’s golden eyes widened in realization. The thought of alchemy had not even occurred to him in all these months. He had been too preoccupied with trying to recover for it to even cross his mind.

Edward looked down at his hands, one flesh contrasting with one metal. He clenched his fists, receiving a feeling of pressure from one and a light squeak from the other. He took a deep breath as he got his hands into position.

There was a crackle of blue light and the metal on his new arm extended into a sharp blade. He marveled at the blade as the light dissipated. He spun the metal around, observing it.

“You two!” A voice cried, making the boy stiffen up. “What did you do to my automail!? You alchemy-fied it! Didn't you!” Winry said, running up and slamming down on the railing of the porch. “Are you trying to break it?! I just made it!” She huffed.

“Shut up! It’s fine!” Ed retorted as he reverted his arm to its normal state.

 _‘Brother...That’s amazing! You did it just like teacher does!’_ Al exclaimed, his voice in awe.

“Oh yeah, I guess I did..” He said as he looked down at his hands, examining them. “Al, how about you try it.” Edward said as he closed his eyes and let his younger brother take over.

As Al opened _his_ eyes, he stared down at _his_ hands. He twitched a bit, getting used to being in control once again. He stretched _his_ arms outwards and took a deep breath. He slammed _his_ palms together, only receiving a twinge of pain shooting throughout _his_ left side.

He furrowed _his_ eyebrows. “What did I do wrong?” He said as he rubbed _his_ left hand and slumped against the side of the house. “Brother, what did you do for it to work?”

 _‘I didn't do anything different. Hey Al, speaking of alchemy...Do you remember anything that happened after we...activated the transmutation circle?’_ Edward replied, his voice wavering with bits of worry.

“What thing? I can’t remember anything in between activating the array and waking up in your body.” Al replied. He hadn't had a clue at what his brother was getting at.

 _‘Oh, alright...nevermind.’_ he replied, dropping the subject. His mind raced. Why hadn’t Al seen it? Was it just a figure of his imagination? Did he see it due to shock? No, that couldn’t be. He had seen all of the answers to alchemy and saw it both times he did human transmutation. There was no way he could have seen the same thing twice if it was just a hallucination.

“So, have you given the Lieutenant Colonel a call? You guys are leaving as soon as you can, right?” Winry asked as she sat on the porch steps with her head resting in between her two small hands.

“Brother called him yesterday. We should be leaving in about...” he paused in thought and brought his fingers up to his chin. “Three days at most.”

Al stared at the grass, watching it sway in the wind. He had never been to the city before, how different would it be from the country? He had been told that it was dirty and smelly and people weren’t as nice. He would miss Resembool, the clean air filling _his_ lungs. The kind neighbors he had grown up with. The soft sounds of sheep grazing.

“You alright Al?” Winry said as she stood up from the steps and walked over to him. She tucked her dress down as she settled on the ground next to him. She moved her finger, telling him to move his head. She took the hair tie out of his hair and brushed her fingers through his long golden hair. “It’s so knotty….” she muttered as she ran her fingers through his hair, gaining small yelps from the boy as it tug on his scalp.

“Brother….” he complained. “Why did you have to grow your hair out? It’s annoying and hard to take care of and it scratches _my_ back” he said complained.  
_‘Come on! It looks cool!’_ Ed fought back. How dare his brother insult his cool hairstyle.

Al sighed. “You still need to teach me to do hair, Winry.” He said as she tied a hairband around _his_ freshly brushed and braided hair.

“What!?” She said, poking her head around his shoulder. “I’ve shown you how to do it like, five times! How don’t you know by now?” Her face red with frustration.

“I know that, but it’s not fun!”

“Have Ed do it then!”

“No! He’ll do something weird with it!”

 _‘Hey!_ ’

As they stopped bickering, everything went quiet. None of them said a word. They looked over the rolling green hills, taking in the views of sheep and farms.

“I’m going to miss you guys…” Winry said, breaking the silence as she pulled her legs up to her chest. “Why can’t you just stay here? Surely you can figure something out…” Al looked over at her, _his_ face scrunching up with guilt.

“You know why we have to…” he said, tilting his head up to the sky. It was a bright blue, few clouds in the air. “I don’t want to either” he whispered. “Neither does brother, but he says it’s the best bet to get our bodies back. And...I agree.” He turned to the girl next to him and smiled. It was a smile filled with sadness that couldn't be hidden.

Winry’s chin starts to quiver. Al puts _his_ hands up, unsure of what to do. “W-Winry, please don’t...it’s going to be ok..” he said, _his_ voice stuttering with concern and guilt.

 _‘Let me talk to her, Al.’_ Ed said, interrupting.

Al gave his control up to his brother. As he opened up his eyes, he rested a hand on Winry’s shoulder.

“It’s going to be alright. I promise.” He said, speaking in a sweet voice different from Al’s. “You don’t need to cry”

Winry looked over at him with watery eyes. She bit her lip and looked down, resting her forehead on his shoulder. “I just want you to be safe.” She murmured.

Ed placed his hand on her back, rubbing it in small circles. “I know Win, I know. And we will be, I promise.”

Winry snuggled her face into his shoulder, gripping at his shirt as she wept for her two childhood best friends.

 

* * *

 

The two boys saw the same sight. They had ever since the transmutation. They both marveled as they stared at the station, their mouth wide open in awe. The ceiling was so tall and there were so many people in one space. Edward slowly made his way through the crowd, bumping into people as he rushed to get out to the city.

He stood out immensely. He looked like a five year old who had been allowed to dress himself for the day. He wore a bright red coat with a black Flamel symbol on the back of it. Under that consisted of a pair of leather pants and a leather tunic. He wore black platform boots with red soles. Al had put up as much of a fight as he could, but it was his brothers day for control and that meant that he got to choose what their body looked like that day.

 _‘Aren’t we supposed to meet Lieutenant Colonel Mustang here? All we are doing is transferring trains and heading to central.’_ Al pointed out as he noticed his brother head towards the exit.

“I don’t care. I can find my way to central on my own. I don’t need an escort. I want to explore.” He retorted, receiving stares of concern from passerby. He did seem to be talking to himself after all.

As Edward exited the station, he stared at the buildings in amazement. “There are so many!” He exclaimed.

 _‘They’re so close together too!’_ Al said in the same excited tone as his brother.

“Let’s go!” Ed said as he ran down the street and up some steps, his feet clambering against the pavement. He looked around taking in the view, not caring where he was going.

Then he ran straight into somebody.

“Sorry about tha-“ he started, only to look up at a black haired man in a blue uniform.

“Oh! If it isn’t Edward Elric! Or uh...Alphonse? I’m not sure.” He said, scratching the back of his head. “Where are you going? Me and Lieutenant Hawkeye were just on our way to gather you.”

The woman in the back tilted her head a bit and gave a smile. “How have you boys been?” She asked kindly.

“What the hell is he wearing?” Mustang whispered, leaning over to his Lieutenant. She smacked him over the head and returned her hands back to in front of her. The man grumbled under his breath and turned his attention back to the boy.

“We’ve been fine.” He huffed in reply. “Why do you guys need to accompany us to Central? If it was Ms. Hawkeye, I wouldn’t mind. But you also decided to join us.” The boy crossed his arms and puffed his cheeks. “I’m not a child”

Mustang blinked. Did this twelve year old just say he wasn’t a child? He held back a laugh and received a glare from Hawkeye. He cleared his throat and regained his composure without the boy noticing.

“Even if you didn’t want an escort, I am the one who scouted you to become a State Alchemist. I need to be there.”

Edward groaned as he turned around. “Whatever. Let’s go then. I don’t want to be late.” He said, his hands behind his head.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Edward stopped in his tracks. He turned back around to see the man giving him a stern stare. “You’ll be selling your soul to the military and be looked down on by civilians.”

Ed's shoulders tensed up. “I already made up my mind. I have enough experience dealing with souls and I could care less what people think of me. _I am_ going to succeed and _I am_ going to get my brothers body back.” He said, snarling in response.

The man smirked. “Nice answer. Alright, let’s go then.” He said as he lead the way. His Lieutenant and a twelve year old kid in tow.

“So uh…which one am I talking to right now?” Roy said, breaking the silence as they walked.

“Ed. We switch control every other day.” Ed replied. Mustang nodded, making a mental note of that. “So Lieutenant Colonel-“

“Colonel now, actually. And Hawkeye’s been promoted to First Lieutenant.” Roy said, in a snarky tone.

“Whatever, I don’t care, and congrats Lieutenant. Anyways, as I was asking before I was _rudely_ interrupted, hat do your superiors think about dragging someone my age into the military?”

Mustang stopped and pointed at Edward and then back to Hawkeye with a dumbfounded look, and then pouted. Riza shot her superior an exasperated look. ‘ _Little brat...i’m already regretting this.’_

“They don't care about age. They just need more soldiers to fight their constant wars.” The man shrugged “I’m going to change this country. And I’ll make sure shrimp like you don't get a chance to join” He said leaning down and getting in his face.

“Who are you calling so small he would drown in a bathtub!?” He yelled, drawing the attention of everybody around him. Ed stopped for a moment and smirked. “Hey Al, I wonder what his superiors would think if they knew what he thought of them.” The boy gave a mischievous look to the man who returned with his own threatening one.

“You wouldn't dare” He responded, pointing his finger his way.

“I sure as hell would!” The kid shot back, teetering back and forth from his heels to the balls of his feet.

 _‘Brother, stop.’_ Al said, reprimanding him.

Ed laughed once again. “It’s fine Al. I’m just messing with him.”

“At least one of these boys seem to have a sense of mind.” Roy scoffed, turning around and continuing down the path towards the train station. “Hurry up!” He yelled back to the kid left standing in the middle of the walkway. His eyebrows perked up as he came to his senses and ran to catch up to the two adults

 

* * *

 

The boy's face was pressed against the window, his breath fogging up the glass. The two officers sitting across from him watched in amusement as he watched how fast the scenery sped by. He was situated on his knees, trying to get the best view of everything. His eyes darted back and forth, taking everything in.

“It’s so fast!” Edward exclaimed, looking back to the adults. Roys' mouth quivered, attempting to hold back a laugh. Ed’s cheeks flushed as he sat back onto the seat and cleared his throat. “Al wanted to see it.” He said, turning his head back to the window. He failed to hide his excitement.

 _‘Liar’_ Al chuckled in amusement.

“Al...shut up!” Ed shot back under his breath. Al started to laugh as he continued to make fun of his brother.

“I wonder what they’re talking about.” Roy said leaning over to Riza, hiding his mouth behind his hand.

“I'm not sure.” She replied, observing the boy seemingly bickering with himself. “They seem to be fighting.”

Roy sighed as he sat back. This was the child he was recruiting into the military, who would be his subordinate, who _he_ would be responsible for.

“I should have never done this.” He said, throwing his head back with his face in his hands and stared at the ceiling, Riza chuckled.

“We are almost there.” She said, looking at Ed.

His eyes lit up in excitement. “Really?” he said, his head shooting back towards the window as Central came into view. He gasped and pressed his left hand up to the glass. He kept his right hand down. He still didn't have the best control over his Automail and was worried that he would crack the glass.

“You’re going to stay at a hotel tonight. Tomorrow me and Lieutenant Hawkeye will bring you into headquarters to do some paperwork you need before the assessment. And the day after that will be your assessment. Alright?” Roy said, briefing the kid about the schedule. Ed bit his lip and nodded.

“Got it.” He said. His mind swirled with the realization that he was about to become a child soldier. That he joining the military at 12 years old. He put his face in his hands as he leaned over, his leg bouncing.

 _‘Brother? Are you alright?’_ Al asked, worry obvious in his voice.

“Yeah Al, I'm fine. I'm just thinking that's all.” He said as he sat up against the back of the chair. “Kinda anxious, ya’ know?” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head..

_‘Brother...We could always turn ba-’_

‘No!” He yelled, startling everyone in the car. He looked around and slunk down in his chair in embarrassment. “No..” He repeated. “We can’t turn back. And after I become a State Alchemist, we won't turn back. I’m going to get your body back.”

Roy looked at the boy. His eyes were filled with the same fire that he had seen the first day he met him. He glanced over to Hawkeye who, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, was worried for the two boys.

 _‘Brother…’_ Al breathed.

“We...we’ll do it. I promise.” Ed continued as he looked out the window.

The sun had begun to set. Their journey to Central was almost done. He sat back into his seat and sighed. He closed his eyes as thoughts of the future swam through his mind.

Soon, it would be the first day of his new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I think that I did really well on this chapter. Thank you for the continued support! 
> 
> Feedback is appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to my beta readers [Chalcedont](https://instagram.com/chalcedont?igshid=1k2lfr3bj7gsu) and axstrxl! Please show them some love! They've been a huge help!

Edward almost laughed at how easy the written exam was. With Al helping him along the way with his strong suits and Ed with his own, they could have easily gotten a full score. They were almost done the test in an hour, which would have taken most people hours to complete. The proctor looked at the boy in amusement. The look in his eyes gave away what he thought of him.

_‘Stupid kid storming through this test. He’s going way too fast. There’s no way he’ll pass.’_

Ed smirked and continued writing. He flipped to the last page and began filling out the written responses. _‘Almost done,’_ he thought _‘This was a piece of cake.’_

His heart dropped into his stomach. His breathing quickened as his eyes gazed upon the final question. His hands shook and the pencil he held rolled out of his grasp. It was just painfully obvious that the world just wanted to torture them.

_“Brother…”_

_‘I know.’_ he responded on the spare sheet of paper they gave him.

**Name five elements found in the human body**

He knew them by heart. Just like the rest of the test, it was an easy question. He could do even better than the question asked for and list every single element. He took a deep breath and picked up his pencil. He pressed the graphite onto the white sheet of paper and answered the final question.

_Water (34 L)_

_Carbon (20 KG)_

_Ammonia (4 L)_

_Lime (1.5 KG)_

_Phosphorus (800 G)_

_Salt (250 G)_

_Saltpeter (100 G)_

_Sulfur (80 G)_

_Fluorine (7.5)_

_Iron (5 G)_

_Silicon (3 G)_

He stood up, his hands pressing against the table. His bangs hung and covered his empty eyes. The proctor stared at him confused but opted to stay silent. Edward tossed the test onto the man's desk and headed towards the door.

“I’ll be going. Just gotta wait outside for someone to come get me for the physical exam, don't I?” He asked, putting a casual tone in his voice.

“Yes…” The man responded hesitantly as he watched the 12-year-old waltz out of the room.

Edward sat down in the chair outside the door and immediately slumped over placing his head in his hands. His leg unconsciously bounced as he took even, shaky breaths to calm himself down

_“Brother…”_

“The whole worlds just out patronize us, aren't they,” He stated with a pathetic laugh. He looked up and glanced around the room to check that they were alone before he continued. “We should have gotten a full score on that test, don't you think?” He changed the subject.

_“I guess...It was the two of us and not just you. But even then I think that we would have been able to pass on our own. But Brother..”_

“What do you think we should do for the physical exam? Do we show off our skills and make some really complex statue or something, or show fighting skills?” Ed said as he continued to avoid the problem.

_“Well...it’s your day and you’re better at designs than I am, but I'm better at combat than you are.”_

Edward laughed “I mean, we should probably show off some kind of combat. State Alchemists are supposed to be human weapons, aren't they? Maybe I’ll let you take control for that.”

Al took a breath. _“As much as I would love to be in control, it’s your day and we agreed on letting the other have the control all day unless we’re both having a conversation with someone who knows.”_

Edward gave a wave of his hand. “Whatever you say, Al.” He crossed one leg over the other and placed his hands in his lap. He avoided looking at his shaking limbs so Al wouldn't see and become concerned.

“Edward Elric?” A deep voice said standing in the hallway. The small boy stood up and ignored the look of surprise on the soldier's face. “Follow me.” He turned around and began walking with Ed trailing not far behind him.

It was a nice building, far nicer than the rest of central. He hadn’t paid much attention to the details in the hallway on his way to the test. He was too nervous, even though he was confident he would pass. Now though, he did anything to get his mind off the anxieties berating his head.

The walls were painted white with spruce trimmings and the tiles on the floor were a pattern of white squares. There was the occasional wood door lined with gold and a window overseeing a courtyard, but other than that, the hall was empty.

The walk was longer than he expected. The silence was unnerving, only being disrupted by the tapping of their shoes. After about five minutes he noticed that he had seen no other soldier other than his escort. His mouth was dry and he licked his lips as he glanced around on guard.

 _‘Stay calm.’_ He thought. There was nothing to worry about, but the silence let his mind wander which was never a good thing. He couldn't allow himself to think about Mom and Al and let his guilt wash over him.

“We’re here,” The soldier announced pulling Ed away from his swirling dark thoughts. The man stood to the side of the door and pushed it open.

Edward eyed him before he stepped into the cold room. It contrasted greatly with the hallway, with most of the room being grey concrete, with the only similarity being the wooden lining. He gazed upwards and noticed a slew of men dressed in blue. They murmured amongst themselves with disbelief that a 12-year-old was enlisting. His eyes darted around until he saw the black haired colonel smirking at him.

The boy's nose scrunched up and he looked away from him. He headed to the middle of the room where two men stood firm. They gestured for him to stand between them and he obliged without a thought.

 _‘Don’t screw this up like you have with everything else. You’re brother’s counting on you to pass.’_ Swam through his mind.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A door in the corner of the room creaked open revealing a line of soldiers surrounded a man. The man raised a hand and the soldiers parted out of their formation only to get into a different one

“Edward Elric I presume?” His booming voice said. His eyes widened as his gaze set to Ed who was unconsciously rubbing the wrist of his automail arm. “An automail arm I see” He stated.

“Yeah,” Edward replied reluctantly. “In a home invasion.” The mans face softened in empathy. Ed had to hold himself back from scowling. He hated being pitied, even if they didn't know the truth. He should still have his arm just like Al should still have his body. He shouldn’t have had to sacrifice it for his brother’s soul, even if he would do it again in a heartbeat. Although, he deserved his leg. It reminded him of the sins he committed attempting human transmutation, just like how his arm reminded him of how much he’s taken away from his brother.

_´It should have been me. I dragged Al into this mess. It’s my fault. I made Al suffer because of me. Itś my fault it's my fault it's-_

He shook his head in an attempt to rid the thoughts. Not now. Now he had to concentrate on passing.

“Who’s that?” He asked the soldier next to him, his face widened in disbelief.

“You idiot that's the Fuhrer, King Bradley,” The man whispered back with hostility. Ed’s eyebrows quirked then a smirk appeared on his face.

“You may begin,” the now known Fuhrer, King Bradley announced. “Do you have anything to draw transmutation circles with?”

“Don’t need ‘em,” He said as he clapped his hands and slammed them to the ground. The audience erupted in amazement and confusion.

The man’s eye widened in surprise as Ed took ahold of his weapon and holding it in his hands for a second. Then his legs started moving on their own. His hands positioned the spear to point forward with his grip tight.

 _“Brother!”_ Al screamed in his head, but it was already too late. The spear was pointed to the Fuehrer's throat and several guns were aimed at his head, fingers on the triggers ready to shoot.

It was as if his mind contradicted him on purpose. He had told himself not to do anything stupid, to not do anything that could put his test results in jeopardy.

_‘You fucked up Edward, you fucked up. You ruined it and now your brother will suffer the consequences for your actions for the rest of his life you-’_

“If someone really wanted to, they could have killed you easily,” He said smirking. “You should rethink this process.”

The man, unphased by the spear, raised his hand as he gazed into the kid's eyes. The guns pointed at his head were lowered but still, the soldiers were on alert. Ed pulled back his spear and placed the end on the ground.

“I like it. You’ve got guts,” The older man said holding his hard gaze. “That was a nice attempt,” He gave him a polite smile before turning towards the door he had come from. “I look forward to seeing your results.”

As the Fuhrer walked away waving a hand back to him, his spear split in half and clambered onto the floor. Looking back at the jolly old man, he noticed he had his sword unsheathed and bouncing around in his hand.

“When did he…” Edward muttered to himself as the soldiers surrounding him and on the balconies dispersed.

 _“What was that for?!?”_ Al yelled at him in his mind. _“What was even the point of that, Brother!? You could have gotten yourself killed!”_

Ed looked around the room. Most of the audience had left, a few standing in a group talking about his test. “I don’t even know. It just...I just did...I-”

_“Well, that was a dumb idea!”_

He sighed as bent down and placed the handle of the spear on the ground, next to its head. “You’re right…” he trailed off “I put you in danger. I'm sorry.”

_¨You didn't just put me in danger, you put yourself in danger too! Think of yourself for once!¨_

Edward stood up and swallowed as he headed to the doors. His footsteps echoed around the now empty room. He pushed the door open and the chatter in the hallways stopped. Men who had just exited the room set their eyes on him as he left the room.

Ed averted his eyes and walked down the hall towards the entrance to central command, He mentally kicked himself the entire way. Groups after groups would stop talking as he walked by them. They would all give him the same look. And after he passed, they would go right back to talking about him.

“Well that was a bold move, wasn't it?” A snarky voice said as he walked down the front steps. Roy Mustang stood in front of him, his arms folded around his chest and Lieutenant Hawkeye at his side.

“Shut up Colonel Bastard.” Ed scowled as he passed him. The man followed right behind him.

“You really put on a show there. Everyone was very surprised.” He said as he walked.

Ed scoffed “Really? You didn’t seem very surprised nor concerned when my spear was at his throat. I wouldn’t consider that a very loyal subordinate.” He said shooting his eyes back and a mischievous smile.

Roy’s mouth gaped as he stared at the boy and back at his lieutenant. “He does have a point,” He mumbled, putting his chin between his thumb and index finger. “Anyways,” he said clearing his throat and regaining his composure “Your results will be back in a week. We’ll head back to East City, so enjoy your week there.”

* * *

 

Screw staying in East City for the week. He’d have Mustang call him when his results came in. He wanted to go back to Resembool. The fresh air of his home town calmed his anxieties and worries. He walked familiar the dirt paths with his hands in his pockets, speaking with his neighbors and taking in the sights. If he passed the test, he wouldn't have the chance to do this anymore. He took his comfort for granted and his ‘normal’ would no longer be the lush green landscapes of where he grew up.

He came to a stop as he appeared at the foot of the all too familiar hill. He took the hike up the overgrown trail slowly and stopped in front of the white house.

 _“What are we doing, Brother?”_ Al asked as they gazed upon their childhood home.

Ed took a deep breath before he pushed the door open with a creak. He coughed as the dust flew through the air and entered his lungs. He tried to avert his gaze from the blood stains dotted on the ground and block the memories from rushing back.

“If I-we pass, we won’t be coming back here anymore. We should take the stuff we want to keep and put it in storage at granny’s.”

_“That’s a good point, but we’ll still need a place to stay when you need your automail tuned up.”_

Ed swallowed. “I’m thinking that we get rid of this place, burn it down. That way we have no place to go back to. So I-we don't give up, so we don't just come back and think it’s ok to give up.”

His ears rang as his brother fell silent. Edward stood there for a minute waiting for Al’s response that wouldn't come. He strode down the hallway, shaking as he saw the unavoidable blood stains scattered around the wooden floor. He opened the closet and pulled some spare boxes out. He begrudgingly opened the door to the study and closed his eyes to avoid the array which no one had dared touch or clean up. He headed over to the bookshelf, its position engraved in his mind. He started to take the books that may be useful and place them in the empty box. He looked around the room, his breath catching in his throat as the array came into his peripheral vision.

He got out of the room as fast as he could, standing in the middle of the living room trying to collect his bearings. Once he came to his senses he began to collect the pictures decorated around the living room. His mother's favorite pan hanging in the kitchen, the blanket their mother stitched for them as a child draped over the couch, her favorite records that she would play on repeat as she twirled her sons around as they giggled.

The next thing they needed to do was get their things upstairs. The pictures lining the stairway were easy to deal with, but once they stood at the top, the anxiety kicked into full gear.

Edward turned to the first door. The door was already opened and lead to one messy bed and one neatly made, both obviously not used in years. Ed’s lip quivered as he looked back at their peaceful life. Toys and books scattered Ed’s side while Al’s were neatly placed in piles.

“Is there anything you want?” He said breaking the silence.

 _“Nothing that really matters anymore,”_ Al scoffed _“Nothing would be useful. Although...I do want to take Benny with me.”_ Benny was the first thing Al had ever transmuted, a bumpy steel toy in the shape of a little dog. He had presented it to their mom as a gift. Mom had insisted he keep it, but named the little thing for him. Alphonse treasured that thing with his life. He brought it everywhere he went, so proud of the little toy he had made.

Edward nodded and bent down to pick the dog up. He went around the room gathering little trinkets filled with memories and things he thought they may need. He gave one last look to the room before closing the door for the final time.

He had to force his legs to move one at a time, each step harder than the last. He slowly pushed the door open and gagged at the unsettled dust. When he opened his eyes he was greeted to a dusty, but otherwise pristine room. Ed stood still as his gaze locked onto the bed where his mother took her final breath. He squeezed his eyes shut and quickly moved around gathering the things he wanted to keep and shut the door.

Memories of squeezing his mother’s hand as she spoke to them before her chest deflated for one last time and her hand went limp in his hand beat at his mind. He had to shut his eyes to stop the tears pricking at his eyes from flowing out.

They finally left the house for the final time and went outside to transmute a spare piece of wood into a sled to pull the boxes on. He gave one last look at the house before heading back down the hill.

When they arrived back at the Rockbell’s, Granny was sitting on the porch smoking her pipe. Her eyes widened as they focused on the boxes trailing behind him.

“Edward, what is that?”

“It’s just some stuff from the house,” He gestured back at it “Could I keep it in your attic?”

Granny’s eyes softened. “Of course you can, do you need help?” She said as she started to stand up.

“No, We’re fine, thank you though.” He said as he started to pick a box up and hauled it into the Rockbells living room.

He continued this until all of the boxes has been brought inside, then he began the process all over again as he brought them to the attic.

“Ed?” Winry said poking her head out of her room. “What are you doing?”

“Moving boxes.” He yelled back at her as he placed another box in the attic.

“What's in them?” She said as she grabbed a box and handed it up to Ed who was looking down from the attic. He gave a small thanks and then disappeared again to put it away.

“It’s stuff from the house.” He said as he jumped down, ignoring the ladder, and brushed himself off. “Granny said I could keep it here.”

“I see…” She said as she looked to the attic. “Why don't you just keep it there though?”

Edward’s eyes drifted to the ground beside him. “We won't be going there anymore if I pass the test. It’ll just be easier to keep it here.”

Winry grimaced and nodded. “Alright...Well, call me if you need anything…” She said retreating back into her room.

Edward sighed as he moved to their own ‘room’ as the Rockbells called it, even if it was just the guest room. He flopped down on the bed and closed his eyes. He laid on his side and looked out the window. He stayed like that for a bit, just thinking, his brother must have been doing the same. They just stared out the window at the rolling clouds and green hills.

 _“Yeah.”_ Al said, knocking Ed out of his thoughts.

“You’re ok with it?” He asked, immediately knowing what he was speaking about.

 _“It hurts...It hurts so bad. But you have a good point.”_ Al took a breath _“We can’t let ourselves think it’s alright to just turn our tails and run.”_

Edward pursed his lips and closed his eyes. “I’m never going to give up, Alphonse. I won’t let myself just let you suffer like this for the rest of your life. I’m not going to give myself any chance whatsoever to stop.”

_“I want my body back too...You have to share your body with me now, it must be terrible. I want to get back to normal as soon as possible.”_

“Al. I would rather share my body with you than let you die. I’m going to get our bodies back, soon. Then you get to live the life you deserve and have the relationships you want.”

After that, the room had fallen silent again. Edward once again looked out the window, the iridescent sky and the deep orange sun setting over the horizon. He closed his eyes and curled up on himself. Laying there and thinking about the decisions he had made in his short, short life so far.

* * *

 

The Fullmetal Alchemist. That’s what he had been named. They had passed the test and headed back to East City for the day. Mustang gave him a briefing and then sent him on his way. He was back in Resembool and sitting outside under a tree near the town.

_“So you start next week, huh?”_

“Yeah,” Ed replied as he waved to a passing neighbor. “Well, we start next week, you’re going to be working too Al!”

 _“I know, I know, I’m not trying to get out of it.”_ He said exasperated.

Edward laughed at his brother and looked up to the sky. “We should do it tonight so we can get used to having nowhere to go.”

Al gave a quiet ‘hm’ in agreement. Edward’s hair blew in the wind as watched the clouds scattered across the sky roll by.

“Well,” Ed said hopping up from the ground. “We should go shopping to make sure we have things for when we leave.”  
_“That would be good. I want to get some new clothes so I have stuff separate from your ugly self-transmuted clothes.”_ Al said in a joking manner. Edward yelled and fought back as his brother laughed.

They walked into the town and looked at the shops. They went from store to store chatting with the owners and purchasing things they’d need for their travels. Some of the neighbors had noticed the new silver pocket watch hanging from his belt and congratulated him on his success. Ed held back his reactions as they spoke. Everyone was under the impression that he was becoming a State Alchemist to find Al. He didn’t miss the pity wavering in their voices as they spoke. Ed got out of those stores as fast as he could. He didn't want Al to have to hear them think he was gone.

The sun had started to set by the time they finished. They took the trek back to the Rockbell household very slowly, putting off their arrival. The dirt road left dust on Edward’s shoes as he kicked a rock down the path.

Neither of the boys said a thing, instead they had found themselves lost in their thoughts. It had become typical for that to happen even since the transmutation. They would either be chattering away with each other or sit in silence. It was unnerving for Ed. Getting used to the constant voice in his head only for it to be silent. The only thing that kept him calm and from feeling alone was the presence he felt from Al’s soul being bonded into his own.

The boys walked up the steps and opened the front door as quietly as they could. They snuck off to their ‘room’ and placed their bags on the ground. Edward tiptoed the body back towards the front door. He snuck by the kitchen where Granny had been preparing dinner, humming to herself.

The boys safely made it back outside before making a run towards their childhood home. They didn’t want to draw any attention to the fact that they were about to commit arson, but it was inevitable seeing as the glow of the raging fire and black smoke rising from their house would be visible from all of Resembool.

Edward took a deep breath before putting one foot in front of the other as he ascended towards the house. Each step felt heavier than the other. He wanted to turn back, to cry, to curl up in his bed and whisk this all away. But he couldn't. That was the whole point of doing this. So he couldn't do that, so he would always be reminded of his sin and the idea of getting his little brothers body back.

When he reaches the top, he ripped off a post from the white picket fence lining the house and set it on the ground. He took the flint and steel out from his pocket and stared at it.

“You ready?” He asked, whispering to his brother.

Alphonse paused for a second _“Yeah.”_ was all he managed to get from his anxiety-filled voice.

Edward bit his lip hard enough to draw blood before placing the post on the ground and scraped the flint with the iron bar, the sparks falling and glowing on the wood.

After the post’s tip had become more orange with ember rather than the chipped white paint it had been, Ed lifted it up and started to blow. It didn’t take long for the post to catch on fire and crackle in front of his eyes.

He stumbled as he stood up. He took a moment to compose himself before getting to his feet. He looked at the front door. He could see his mother standing there, tomatoes held in her white apron as she smiled and waved at him. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to rid the painful illusion.

He finally stepped forward, the fire in front of him. He slowly moved his arm to place it against the wooden door. He held it there until he saw the door blacken and a small flame start to spread.

It would have been much easier if they had gasoline, but they had little time to prepare. Plus, it would add small moments to the image of their house standing strong.

Walking around the house, he started fires in various areas. After he had made his way around the house and once again stood at the front door, now engulfed in the dancing orange of the flames.

It must have gone faster than it felt. It seemed as he had been standing there for eons. Neighbors appeared faster than he anticipated, yelling at each other for buckets. A neighbor placed his hand on Edward’s shoulder. He said something, but everything was fuzzy.

The man’s face fell as he looked into the young man’s anguished golden eyes.

“Please just leave,” He stated softly. “We want this.”

The man backed up reluctantly before turning back to the others who had begun to throw water onto the raging flames. He must have said something because the people had stopped and looked towards Ed with the same face of pity he had grown all too used to.

“Edward!” A young girl’s voice screamed from behind him. He turned slowly to look at her. She panted and put her hands on her knees as she ran to him. “What happened?”

Ed’s lips formed a line, his tongue flicking out to the lick the blood trickling down from his lower lip. He averted his eyes and turned back to the burning house as he watched the memories of his innocent childhood crash and burn.

At some point, Granny had joined them and their neighbors had stood back to give them space.

 _“Winry’s crying.”_ Alphonse muttered. Ed’s eyes widened as he turned to face the girl with her head in her hands, tears slowly making their way down her cheeks.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because you two refuse to cry, so I'm crying for you.”

Ed looked at her and forced a smile onto his face, not being able to hide the obvious pain and guilt in it.

 _‘Just how many more people will I end up hurting?’_ flew through his mind as he watched his childhood best friend cry for him and listened to the faint crackling fire emanating from his childhood home.

_‘Just how many more people?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been exactly two months since I updated this. To give excuses, my marking period at school was closing and I had makeup work to do, then I had writer's block, and I also had to work house crew for my school's musical. But I love this story and am going to keep working on it as hard as I can. I do want to try to update more though. I hope this chapter is enough to suffice for a two month absence. It's the longest chapter I've ever written and I am actually quite proud of it. Thank you so much for sticking around. 
> 
> Also, I will start to reply to comments! I appreciate every single comment I get, but the reason I didn't reply is because it boosted my self confidence tenfold seeing the number next to 'comments' and knowing that none of them were mine. Thank you so much. I appreciate every single little thing.
> 
> Another thing to note is that I have updated chapter one, and plan to do the same to some of the earlier chapters. I have also made this a series! I will be posting little side stories for this fic so I can be self indulgent. I was a bit too self indulgent in the earlier chapters and I am going back to remove and revise it. But there, I'm just going to let my self indulgence run free. Please check it out!
> 
> Comments, Kudo's, and bookmarks are highly appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to my beta readers [Chalcendont](https://instagram.com/chalcedont?igshid=1k2lfr3bj7gsu) and  
> axstrxl for helping me with this chapter!

The world only gave Edward Elric another reason to hate it as the early morning light streamed through the curtain and into his face. He pulled the comforter over his head and peeked a single golden eye out from beneath it to read the clock. It was 5:30 in the morning, which in his mind was eight hours and thirty minutes too early.

The brothers had left their small hometown in favor of the big city only a week before. They were given time to get settled in and to finish the paperwork that Edward hadn’t been bothered to touch - leaving Alphonse to do the work per usual. 

The brothers hadn’t brought much; they didn’t need it. They had unpacked a few essential things, but mostly took their spare time to explore the city. Being from a sheep farming town in the east, the city was certainly an experience. The air was thick with the smell of fumes coming from factories and cars, people didn’t pass each other and strike up a friendly conversation with their neighbors, and most of all: it was loud.

_ “Brother, it’s time to get up.” _ Al said, bringing his brother out of his thoughts.

“Five more minutes…,” he grumbled as he gripped his blanket tighter and snuggled back into bed,  _ “Wo-Woah! Hey! Stop it!” _

Al had gotten fed up with his brother’s antics and decided to take matters into his own hands, “It’s your first day, Brother, you can’t be late” Al said as he stretched and started to look through his suitcase to decide his brother's clothes for the day.

_ “Those are your clothes, Al.” _

“Are you seriously going to wear that outfit for your first day of work? It’s hideous.” The younger groaned as he glanced over to where his brother's suitcase rested against an empty drawer.

_ “It’s not hideous! It’s cool! And it’s better than using the stupid uniform they gave us!” _

A mischievous smirk grew on  _ his  _ face, “You couldn’t wear the uniform even if you wanted to, it’s still being hemmed,” he paused, “Too bad they didn't have a size small enough.” 

Edward screamed in the back of  _ his _ mind and then out loud as Al gave control back. He snarled and snatched his clothes out of his suitcase. Pajamas flew around the room as he tore them off and slipped into his  _ awesome  _ leather top and pants. He turned to the mirror with a triumphant smile and started to braid his hair.

_ “Are you finally ready?”  _ Alphonse questioned in a tired voice.

“Yup!” Edward said content with his look. He turned his head side to side to double check his braid. Reassured with the way it looked, he moved away from the mirror and grabbed the mountain of paperwork that his new commanding officer had dropped on him when he first arrived.

He ran down the hotel steps and out the door the doorman held for him. A gust of wind blew through the entrance and threatened to pull the documents out of his hands. His jacket flapped behind him and his braid began to come loose. Edward let out a ‘tsk’ as he concentrated on keeping the papers in his hands.

“It sure is windy today.” The doorman commented, holding his hat down to prevent it from flying away.

_ “I told you to put it in a folder…”  _ Al reprimanded at the same time.

“Shut up. I told you-” he grabbed a paper that had flown into his face and put it back in the pile, “-that I am fine.”

The doorman looked at him shocked, causing Ed to smile awkwardly before bolting into the crowd to avoid any more attention being drawn to him. He weaved around the people of central who were up and about so early in the morning heading to work or beginning to run errands for the day. They yelled at him after he accidentally bumped into them and scowled when they were greeted with cures flying from the mouth of someone who looked like they were eight.

He skidded to a stop as he approached a major street, looking both ways before he crossed (just as he was taught to do as a child) and ran across heading straight into a pole. 

His flesh hand rubbed at his forehead as he glanced up to read the sign. He stared at it for a second before his face dropped into an exasperated expression. He didn’t know where the hell he was. The buildings around him didn’t look familiar in the slightest and he had never heard of the street that he was on.

“Fucking hell…” He complained, “Al, where are we?”

_ “If you don’t know do you really expect me to know?” _

Wandering around and looking for a landmark he recognized only screwed him over more when he found himself in the middle of nowhere. His nose wrinkled in annoyment as he decided to do the last thing he wanted to do: Call the Colonel. 

To his luck, he spotted a lone phone booth on the corner of the street. He made his way inside and stood on his tiptoes in order to reach the coin slot before he picked the phone up. Impatiently, Edward tapped his foot as he waited for someone to answer. The phone finally clicked and a feminine voice spoke up.

“Eastern Command Center, what may I do for you today?” The woman on the other side of the phone asked in a friendly tone.

“Yeah, uh, I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. I need to speak to Co-Colonel...Mustang?” Stupid puberty and stupid Al for laughing at him as his voice cracked just when he needed to show he was an adult.

“Uhm...Sir,” uncomfort wavered in her voice at calling the kid ‘sir’, “We have no time for prank calls. Please refrain from doing so again, alright?” She talked to him how one would talk to a small child. She’d gotten a few calls like this before. At first, she thought it was cute for kids to pretend to be an officer; now it was simply annoying.

“Hey hey hey hey!” Edward frantically said before the woman could hang up the phone, “It’s not a prank call! I really need to talk to him!”

“We do not allow access to military lines from public lines. Do you have  _ a code _ ?” The woman said in a condescending tone, making fun of the child who persisted to talk to the Colonel.

From previous experiences, she had learned that playing along with the child was the only way to get them to hang up. Once the child was called out for not having authorization, they’d apologize and hang up in embarrassment.

“Uh, yeah,” Ed said as he put his papers on the top of the phone box and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his coat pocket,  “Seven, Male, Apple, Link, Leave.” he recited.

The woman flipped through the papers as she usually did to check if the child had somehow gotten ahold of their parents information so she could scold them later. She came across the exact code that had been read aloud with the Alchemists information written on it.

_ Name: Edward Elric _

_ Title: Fullmetal Alchemist _

_ Rank: Major _

_ Age: 12 _

_ Sex: M _

Taking note of the age written on the paper, she hesitated for a second, “Major Elric?” 

Edward blushed at his official military status and squirmed uncomfortably inside the phone booth, “Yes..” He said hesitantly.

“I-I’ll put you through.  _ This child is the Fullmetal Alchemist? _ ” Ed heard the woman mumble before the phone went silent and transferred calls. After a few rings, someone finally answered.

“Hello?” the all too familiar voice of a certain bastard asked. Edward clicked his tongue and leaned back on the glass of the booth, one leg resting up against it.

“Sup dickhead.” he chided with a smirk on his face. The audible breath heard entering the speaker of the phone had Ed biting his lip to keep back the laughter building up in his throat.

“What do you want, Edward- wait, you know what? Scratch that. It’s your first day, where the hell are you?” 

“So like, me and Al kinda got lost, right? We were, running and must have missed a turn or somethin’. Could you give me directions or whatever?”

Mustang massaged his forehead and another sigh flew through the speaker, “What street are you on? I’ll have one of my men come to pick you up.”

Ed squinted through the glass of the phone booth to make out the words written on the green street sign, “Uhm, the corner of Mandlade and Brooksten.” 

“Right...alright. I’ll have someone there in ten. Stay put.” Was the last thing heard before the phone was slammed onto the receiver. He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a second. His ear rang from the ding of the phone being put slammed the receiver. Irritation bubbled in his chest as he put the phone onto his own receiver and grabbed his papers. He headed outside the booth and decided to squat on the curb outside while he waited for his ride.

* * *

 

 

“A’ight,” He said standing up and scrubbing his cigarette on his ashtray, “What’s the guy look like?”

Mustang turned Hawkeye with lost eyes. How the hell was he supposed to explain to his team that their new co-worker and superior was a twelve year old?

Hawkeye shook her head, getting the message he was sending and stood up to stand next to the Colonel, “He has golden hair and eyes. He is quite short, but don’t point it out.”

“He’s got a horrible fashion sense.” Mustang interjected gaining a glare from Hawkeye.

“Kay’” he sighed, ”I’ll go get ‘em.” Havoc rested his hands behind his head and strolling out of the room.

“Oh, wait! You should also know that he tends to mumble to himself, so just ignore him if he does.” He yelled before the man got too far out the door. The warning was certainly needed before Havoc deemed Edward to be hysterical. 

Havoc gave a thumbs up and walked out of the room. The door closed behind him and Mustang turned his head to look at his Lieutenant with a defeated look.

“Dear god I don’t even want to know how he’s going to react when he sees Edward…” Mustang said trailing off. 

Hawkeye pat him on the back, “If you’re so worried about his reaction, how about you go finish your work to distract yourself. Then you can put your attention towards when he gets here.” She said in a more commanding, rather than suggesting, tone.

The Colonel groaned as he drug himself back to his office. Hawkeye made her way back to her seat and picked up her pen, ready to forge her superiors signature as usual.

“So...who is this new recruit?” Fuery peeped, peering over the barrier separating their desks. His voice was curious but the look in his eyes was excited to finally have someone new to the team; someone that would make it so he was no longer the ‘baby’ of the team.

“His name is Edward Elric,” Hawkeye replied diligently as flipped the page of her paperwork and scribbled Mustangs name, “He’s a state alchemist that Colonel Mustang recruited last year. He passed his test last month.” 

Fuery’s shoulders shrunk at the news of the new recruit being a higher rank than him. He propped an elbow up on the table and rested his chin on it, “What’s he like?” he questioned further.

“Childish. Hot-headed.  _ Very _ defensive of his height.” were the words that she chose to describe the boy with. However, she then remembered that the team would be interacting with his brother as well, “Though he can quite sweet and soft spoken. He’s  _ very _ , very kind and soft.”

Falman, who had been listening to their conversation decided to speak up, “He sounds like an entirely different person.” Hawkeye bit her inner lip and cleared her mind to prevent herself from showing them just how right they were about that one little statement.

“Colonel’s gonna have a hard time with that first bit of that personality of his, ain’t he?” Breda cut in.

Hawkeye nodded, “You’ll see soon enough.”. 

And soon enough they would.

* * *

 

“Where the fuck is he!?” Edward yelled ruffling his hair in annoyment. He had gotten tired of people walking down the sidewalk and asking him if he was lost and if he needed help getting home.

_ “Brother, it's been fifteen minutes. The Colonel is probably a busy man, he can’t drop everything for you.”  _ Alphonse sighed.

“Yeah? Well, he should. He’s in charge of me. Plus! It’s my first day, he should be helping me out!” was once again said in a scream. The few people walking the sidewalks turned their heads and stuck to the side of the buildings in an attempt to stay far away from the boy.

Edward was snapped back to reality as he heard a car skid to a stop in front of him. A man got out of the car and walked to the curb, surveying the area for someone. His eyes landed on Ed and he squinted to get a better look at him.

“Are you the one Colonel Mustang wanted me to pick up?” He asked in a confused manner as he came towards him leisurely with his hands in his pockets.

Ed groaned and stood up “Yeah, that’s me. The bastard didn’t come and get me himself?” He questioned. The man continued to stand in front of him awkwardly. He felt the man's eyes scan him up and down.

“How old are ya’?”

“Twelve. What about it?” Looking at him with a scowl, he could make out that the man was a 2nd Lieutenant. The blue uniform fit him well unlike the one he had been issued.

The now known 2nd Lieutenant squatted down to meet Edward’s eyes, “So you’re the Colonel’s kid?”

Ed let out a gasped filled with horror and disgust, his hand placed over his heart as he backed up, “What? Did he tell you that? What the hell! No! Ew!” Pedestrians once again turned their heads as the boy began dry heaving and gagging.

“Nah,” He said with a wave of his hand, “He said you were a new recruit, but that ain’t possible.” Edward glared at him and fumbled around his pockets, digging around for his shiny new watch. He pulled it out and flashed it to the man with a tired look on his face.

  
The man choked on his own spit in surprise. His fist pounded at his chest and he stumbled backward. A hand quickly snapped up to his forehead and his free arm was pressed stiffly against his side.

“Sir! Please ignore my insubordination!”

  
It was impossible to hold back the laughter gathering in his throat. He clutched his stomach and bent forward, air forcing itself into his lungs as he wheezed on the ground.

The man stayed in his position with a bewildered expression plastered on his face. After a minute of gasping, the boy finally looked up to the man.

“You,” he started before falling into another fit, “You’re so serious!”

_ “Brother! Stop that!” _ Alphonse reprimanded. 

His brother would not stop laughing for the life of him and at this point. Al became annoyed with his brothers antics and forced himself to take control for the second time that day. Edward had always been the less mature of the two, even if he was the elder brother.

_ “Al what the fuck!” _ his brother complained, remnants of his laughing fit still lingering in his voice.

He ignored his brother and finally got to _ his _ feet. Brushing off  _ his  _ pants and clearing  _ his  _ throat, he finally met the man eye to eye. It was hard to breathe thanks to his brother losing his crap.

“I’m sorry about that,” He said once there was enough oxygen in  _ his _ body to speak without gasping, “I’m Al-Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist.” He said cringing at the mention of his lost name.

_ ‘You’re no longer Alphonse. You’re Edward.’  _ he reminded himself.

Al stuck out  _ his  _ hand to give the man a friendly handshake. He noticed the man trying to hide his surprise as his hand met a solid one. At this point he didn’t even notice it, he didn’t care. His brother, on the other hand, thought that whenever people realize you have automail, they pity you.

“2nd Lieutenant Jean Havoc, sir,” The man finally introduced himself, “Once again, I apologize for my insubordination.”

Al stood there awkwardly, avoiding making eye contact with Havoc, “No, you’re fine. Please don’t uh, call me that?” Shifting from side to side, he wrung  _ his  _ hands together, “It just makes me uncomfortable and it obviously made you uncomfortable too. You don’t need to be formal with me.”

Havoc let out a sigh of relief,“It  _ was _ pretty weird calling a child sir.” His hand met the back of his neck as he rubbed it in embarrassment. Al let out a chuckle before his brother cut him off screaming.

“I’m not a child!” Havoc paused and looked at him in shock. His eyes glanced around before he stood straight back up.

“Brother!” Al shouted as he took control back. It only made the man look at him not only in shock but in fear as well. Al quickly realized what had happened and brought  _ his  _ gaze back to Havoc, “I’m sorry. Let’s go!” He changed the subject before bolting into the back seat of the car.

Looking out the window, Al watched as the lieutenant stood there for a second and ran his hands through his hair. Al grabbed the seat belt and strapped himself in and kicked  _ his  _ feet as they dangled off the side of the chair.

“Great going brother.” He chided.

_ “Me!? You are the one who shouted out loud!” _

“Well, I wouldn’t have had to if you didn’t take control back! Gosh!” As he slumped down in his seat, and pouted as he waited to leave. Jean had come to the conclusion that it would be safe to be in the car with the kid for five minutes and climbed into the driver's seat.

Having settled down, Al finally gave in and let his brother retake control as the car started and headed off. They sat in silence with only the revving of the engines preventing Havoc from hearing Ed’s mumbled responses. He could see out of the corner of his eye that the lieutenant had been stealing looks at them through the rearview mirror

“So, where are you from?” Havoc asked in an attempt to make conversation.

“Oh, we’re from Resembool. You’ve probably never heard of it, it’s pretty far out in the east. This is actually our first time to the city to be honest.” Edward said unconsciously, chuckling as he admitted to being a country hick.

“I...see.” Havoc said as he turned back around gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

 ‘ _ We??’  _  He thought ‘ _ WE???’. _ The green light couldn't seem to come any sooner.

* * *

 

There weren’t any more attempts at breaking the silence after that. The car pulled into the base’s parking lot and Ed hesitantly hopped out. Even though now he was technically a military officer (and definitely not a child) he was still anxious about being in such a big and important building.

“This way.” Havoc called with the wave of a hand.

They walked through the halls of the command center and even though he was so used to people staring, so many people looking at him at once had made him uncomfortable. He noticed the officers who towered over him look his way out of the corner of their eyes and whispering behind their hands to one another. After what seemed like a decade, they finally approached the big wooden doors leading to Colonel Mustang’s office.

“Right through here.” Havoc announced as he pushed the door open. Edward clutched the sides of the door beside it and peeked his head through. He saw no sign of Mustang, but three adults and Lieutenant Hawkeye looking his way.

“Havoc, Mustang told you to get the new recruit, not your secret love child.” Breda said as he sauntered up with his thick arms crossed and looking at the boy.

“He’s not my child!” He retorted, sticking a cigarette between his lips while Ed mumbled something along the lines of ‘why does everyone think I'm someone’s kid.’

“ _ This _ is apparently the Colonel’s new recruit.”

Three pairs of eyes widened in surprise as Edward stepped out from behind the door. He wrung his hands behind his back and gave them an awkward smile. They looked him up and down with the face of someone who was in complete shock.

“Hello…. Edward,” Hawkeye said as she approached him, an unnoticed voice of questioning wavering at the end of her sentence, “How are you?”

“Yeah,” He said in hopes that she would get his implications, “I’m good.”

With all the commotion in the office, the doors inside the room finally creaked open. Edward rolled his eyes as he noticed Mustang step out of the office and leaned against the door with a smug look.

“Glad you finally decided to join us, Edward.” He said smiling. It took everything in his power not to go up to him and kick him in the balls as hard as he could with his left leg.

“Hold on,” Breda exclaimed looking between Mustang, Havoc, and Hawkeye, “You’re telling me  _ this _ is the new recruit?!”

“I already told you that.” Havoc said as he looked at the child who was busy scowling at their superior.

“He’s a bit...younger than expected.” Falman commented with his chin positioned between his thumb and index finger.

“ _ Finally someone younger than me _ !” Fuery said under his breath. His eyes sparkled as he looked at the boy standing in the doorway.

“Yes!” Edward said throwing his arms in the air, “I am the new recruit! Alright! Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist! Got it? Good. Now could you  _ please  _ stop questioning me for fuck's sake,” He yelled before taking a seat in one of the cushioned chairs lining the room.

He crossed his legs and grumbled under his breath in annoyment, “Asshole, I got your papers.” He said waving the stack of paperwork in his hand. He held it out to Mustang before he grabbed it and started flipping through them.

“Dear god your handwriting is shit.” Mustang flipped through the papers, “Get in my office and come decipher this stuff.” Edward groaned and pushed himself up out of his seat and headed towards the inner office.

“Mhm,  _ super _ sorry. Not every day you have to obtain your fine motor skills again in a year or anything.”

Once the pair of alchemists left the room Breda slumped down in his chair and hung his head in his hands, “I feel like I’ve aged 50 years just from this encounter.”

“Breda you haven't even seen half of it, trust me. If you’ve aged 50 years from this then I’ve aged 100.” Havoc said as he patted the sulking man on the back. He brought his gaze towards the two closed doors, “I don’t know what to think about him though...He has something wrong with him”

“He didn’t tell you about him?” Falman asked as he walked over to the group.

“He told me he talked to himself!” Havoc's head snapped towards the older man, “He didn’t tell me he was batshit! You don’t seem to understand. This kid was laughing his ass off after I saluted, because the kid’s a  _ fucking Major _ , and the next second he was apologizing to me! ”

“That's on the Colonel then.” Breada said as he returned the gesture given to him earlier and clapped his hand on Havocs back.

Riza facepalmed in the back of her mind. Those two boys were going to be the death of her and the days she’s spent time with them hasn’t even added up to a week. The elder of the two was going to be a hassle, though from the little interactions she’s had with the younger, he can be just as much. But maybe it would be a good thing; their presence would keep the men on their feet.

She had forgotten how smart her coworkers were. Each time they mentioned something that was exactly true about the pair, she had to hold back from letting a giggle escape her lips. They talked about how weird he was and Havoc recounted the ‘terrifying’ (as he described it) encounter. Each word he said put the men more on edge to learn more about the boy and who he was.

Colonel and the Major came back through the doors fifteen minutes later. The officers immediately shut their mouths and looked around the room in an inconspicuous manner. Riza rolled her eyes and set her attention on her superiors. Mustang looked worn out while Edward was obviously agitated.

Edward plopped himself back in the chair he had been sitting in previously and sighed, “Why the hell do I have to stay here all day? I don’t have anything to do.” His arms crossed themselves across his chest and he slid down in the seat until he was practically laying on it.

Mustang turned to Hawkeye. His entire being practically radiated a call for help. She shook her head side to side and made her way over to where Edward was brooding. She sat herself down next to him quietly and clasped her hands gently in her lap. The boy didn’t move from his spot, but his golden eyes moved to the corners to look at her.

“Hi.” He mumbled. The pout on his face didn’t fade. He moved his gaze away from the Lieutenant and back forwards. 

His eyes scrunched up in disgust as they reached the colonel. Like every mature adult (like he claimed he was) he stuck his tongue out and pulled one eyelid down. And just like every responsible superior, the man returned the gesture.

“Edward, do you want to tell me what’s wrong?” She tapped him on the shoulder to prevent any tension between the two from rising. Her voice radiated a sweet and motherly tone. With his attention brought away from the Colonel, his shoulders seemed to relax and even pushed himself up into a sitting position.

He kicked his feet - just as a child would when their feet didn’t reach the ground - and frowned, “I wanna go ho-” he cut himself off before biting his lip.

_ After all, he no longer had a home. _

“It’s pointless being here if I'm not doing any work. I wanna go to the library.”

Riza let out a ‘hmm’ and closed her eyes. She took a breath and turned her attention back to the boy, “Well, Edward, you have a job now, don’t you? When you have a job, you need to be at work when you’re on the clock. Even when you’re not doing anything. Plus, it’s your first day. Take the time to get to know everyone. You’ll be working with them for now on.”

Something she said must have clicked with him because his scowl faced and he began to twiddle his fingers, “I guess,” he mumbled before looking up. He gave a shy smile to Hawkeye before turning to the men in the room watching the encounter. He went to speak up before he quickly shut his mouth, “Al, you do it.” He whispered.

_ “No Brother, you need to get to know them. I can get to know them by watching, but they should meet you, not me.”  _

“Come on, you know as much about me as I do, plus you like talking to people. I can sit back and watch.” The confused faces returned to the officers as they glanced at one another.

Hawkeye leaned over and put her hand on his shoulder. He stopped in the middle of a sentence and turned to her. She put a single finger to her lips and smiled.

Blood immediately rushed to his face as he flushed in embarrassment. The mixture of the lady smiling at him with once again being terrible at subtly didn’t help at all. In the background, Mustang snorted before he shot the man a glare, only making him burst out laughing.

Fuery took a deep breath and built the courage up to confront the boy. His body was completely stiff as he walked up to Edward, “Master Sergeant Kain Fuery sir! It’s nice to meet you!” 

Edward glanced around in confusion before pointing to himself, “Me…?” Fuery nodded, only making the boy more flustered. “

Edward swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck with his automail arm, “You don’t need to call me that you know. Just call me Ed. I didn’t join the military for the rank. Plus it’s awkward having someone older than me address me like that.”

“Why the hell isn’t he laughing at him! He had a fit when I did it!” Havoc yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

Relief washed over the Sergeant and his shoulders finally rested. He nodded and quickly took the chance to escape the uncomfortable situation. The room was silent for a bit. Nobody knew what to say and Mustang was still on the floor struggling to regain his composure.

“So why’d you join the military if you don’t mind me asking si- excuse me, Ed.” Falman broke the silence. Edward’s head shot up from its place staring at his lap and thought for a second.

The memory of sitting at the table with Winry and Pinako popped into his head. They exchanged words a few nights before the brothers departed, debating ideas that would somewhat explain why a twelve year old joining the military.

_ “What if it’s to find Al?” The idea was brought up reluctantly by Winry. The two women they lived with still tiptoed around the subject despite Ed and Al saying they didn’t need to do so. _

_ “I guess that would make sense. It would add up to what we’ve told the neighbors.” Shock appeared on their surrogate family’s faces as Al agreed with the idea. _

_ “Are you sure?” Winry and Edward asked at the same time. _

_ “It’s the best option we have.” Al shrugged. _

_ Everyone in the household had gotten used to the constant morphing of Ed’s face depending on who was in control, even when it was like this and they both interjected to hold a conversation with people at the same time. Pinako shook her head and let out a puff of smoke. _

_ “You boys should worry more about hiding your situation. You can make up and say anything to excuse your place in the military, but you can't easily excuse your constant switching. You aren’t being very subtle. You look like you have something wrong with you” The old lady scoffed. _

_ “Think what they want. I don’t give a shit. They’re gonna think i’m crazy anyways. It doesn’t matter if they think I'm schizophrenic, it doesn’t matter if they think I have some personality disorder. I’m not gonna keep Al from interacting with other people and I'm not going to force him to act like me. He’s got his own personality. He’s his own person. And i’m not taking that away from him. Let them stare.” The room was silent after Edward had raised his voice and slammed his hands on the table so hard that Winry’s glass of water spilled. Pinako shook her head and stood up to get a towel. _ _  
_ _ “Whatever you want boy, just don’t get court martialed.” _

He was brought back to reality by Havoc who leaned in his face snapping his fingers, “You alright kid?” He questioned hesitantly.

“Yeah I'm fine, just thinkin’,” He shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned to Falman, “Something happened and my little brother’s missing so i’m going to find him.” Every time he had to express that Al was ‘missing’ punched him in the gut and drowned him in guilt.

“Oh, I'm, well, I'm sorry for that. Let me know if you need anything.” Falman averted his eyes from Ed and headed back to his desk, turning his attention back to his work.

“Hey, you’re fine, don’t worry about it.” He reassured. The man nodded but stayed silent and fully focused on the papers in front of him

* * *

 

Ed rocked back and forth in his chair, he watched the adults in the room talk to each other for a while before Hawkeye had ushered them back to doing their work. He looked around the room, waiting for something to be given to him, but nothing came.

“Hey Chief, wanna come eat with us?” Havoc asked, gaining a nudge in the side from Breda who shot him a  _ ‘what the hell are you thinking’  _ glare. It took a second for Ed to register that he was the ‘Chief’ in question.

“Sure.” He said hopping off the chair. The adults led the way and the group walked together through the hallways talking. Edward had squeezed himself into the middle of the crowd somehow and was stuck. The only good part of being behind all the adults was that he couldn't see the other officers in the hallway staring at him (not that he cared, of course).

“So how old are you Ed?” Falman asked in an attempt to make conversation.

“Im twelve,” He responded casually. 

The team all shot each other looks, Havoc, in particular, shooting his superior a glance. Mustang noticed and simply gave him shrug before putting his hands back into his pockets.

“My little brother, Alphonse, is a year younger than me.” Ed continued, unaware of the confusion brewing above him in the adult's eyes. 

“And...what’s he like?” Furey asked hesitantly. Edwards entire demeanor changed at the change to talk about his little brother. 

“The complete opposite of me,” he scoffed, “he’s always polite and helpful and doesn’t really talk back at all. But he’s also an ass when he wants to be.” He finished, a smirk growing on his face.

_ “I’m right here! They may not know it but you do!”  _ Alphonse retaliated. 

The boy started laughing and stopped in his tracks, almost tripping Mustang who had been walking right behind him. Havoc leaned over and whispered into Bredas ear. 

“The way he described his brother sounds exactly like the way he acted when I picked him up.”

Breda's eyebrows rose, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I already know he’s crazy, but what if he like, tried to adopt his brother's personality into his?”

“How the hell does that make sense?”

“Nothing about that kid makes sense!”

The two went back and forth under their breaths unbeknownst to Edward who was mumbling to himself as he walked.

 The group had finally approached the dining hall and spread out. Falman and Fuery, having brought their lunch, went off to find a table. The rest of the team headed over to the short lunch line.

Every pair of eyes was set on the young boy. He could care less and hadn’t even noticed, too focused on the choices he had for his lunch. There wasn't much to pick from. Lunch was nearly over and most of the good stuff was already taken. Annoyed at the few choices to choose from, he settled for a piece of quiche and a some bread.

The team rejoined at the table and sat in awkward silence for a bit. Ed had begun to mumble under his breath once again and the adults shot looks at each other. Breda cleared his throat to get the attention of the table.

“So, Major, you’re an alchemist?”

Bright golden eyes blinked before he looked at his hands, I told you,you don’t need to call me that, and yeah. Me and my brother picked it up when we were young. I think I was…” He tapped his chin with his finger, “I was four and my brother was three?”

Breda choked on his lunch while Furey stared at him with wide eyes.

“Three and four?!” Furey shouted, “You guys are some kind of proteges! Colonel Mustang, where the hell did you find this kid?” He radiated amazement at the pure genius the kid treated like it was a typical thing.

“Hmm?” Mustang hummed as he broke off a piece of bread, “The papers had a typo. It said Edward was in his thirties while, in fact, he was an eleven year old boy.” He said through a full mouth.

“Did you find out who made the typo? It seems like that’s quite an...extreme mistake to make.” Falman stated.

“It doesn't matter now,” Mustang waved his hand.

Ed shifted awkwardly in his seat as the adults around him discussed his situation. He twirled his fork around in his food. After a while, the conversation shifted from his personal life to the state of the economy and taxes, something a boy his age couldn’t easily relate to (even if he was  _ totally  _ a mature adult).

_ “Are you alright, brother?”  _  Al asked, noticing his brothers fidgeting.

“Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine, just don’t have anything to add to the conversation.” He mumbled in response.

_ “You just seem uncomfortable.” _ the younger pressed in concern for his brother.

“It’s just because they’re boring! They’re talking about taxes!” Edward said a bit too loud, catching the attention of the others sitting at the table.

“Is everything alright, Edward?” Hawkeye asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. Ed’s cheeks brightened in embarrassment and his gaze averted towards the ground.

“Y-yeah, everything’s fine!” His hand met the back of his neck and rubbed it awkwardly. He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and mouthed, ‘I was talking to Alphonse.’

Realizing, Hawkeye nodded and smiled, “Alright.” before turning her attention back to her food.

The other four men out of the loop looked at each other. The Lieutenant wasn’t the only person at the table who could read lips after all. Havoc leaned in and whispered to the others 

“Did he just say he was talking to his missing brother?”

“I think so.”

“Maybe it’s a coping mechanism?”

“I don’t know.”

“This kid really has something wrong with him.”

“What are you men talking about?” Mustang eyed the four. Their bodies stiffened up as they turned towards their commanding officer.

“Nothing, sir.” They said in unison.

Mustang closed his eyes and nodded, “Alright.”

The men sighed in relief that he didn’t press on about their conversation. The crew finished their lunch in silence, and not long after that did they head back to work. 

Despite being swamped in paperwork, Not much work was finished. Between Mustang and Edward bickering and the thoughts swirling through their minds, it was nearly impossible to do anything.Their heads were clouded with curiosity as to what was going on with their new co-worker; and what the Colonel and Lieutenant were hiding from them.

* * *

 

“I’m not looking forward to today. I don’t want to deal with him again.” Havoc groaned with his head hung in his hands. And as if on cue, the young boy in question walked through the door. He was the exact opposite of how he was yesterday. The outfit he wore was a casual black vest with a brown trench coat laying over him and much too big khaki pants. The outfit was tied together with a dark blue tie and shiny new boots. 

“Good morning!” He said in a cheery voice. It was higher than it was yesterday and there wasn’t a growl hidden beneath the words he was saying. Havoc had to do a double take when he saw the genuine smile spread across the child's face.

Havoc looked at him with a tired expression. The boy saw him and smiled but tilted his head innocently to ask what was wrong.

“I think I’m going to retire.” He slammed his head down onto his desk with a loud thud. It alerted the boy who had ran over to make sure he was alright. Havoc would have rather the kid just sit there and laugh at him rather than try to offer help.

Mustang leaned up against his office doors with his arms folded. As much as those two boys made him want to pull his hair out - one more so over the other - it sure as hell was entertaining watching them torture his men who had no idea of the boys situation. That he wasn’t crazy as they thought him to be. That the boy was, in fact,  completely sane (or, as sane as someone could be after what he’s experienced) and was simply one body with two separate souls residing inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, It's been a while...again. I'm sorry for the two month wait...again. I really don't want this to be a constant thing. I hope that this chapter is able to make up for it. I worked really hard on it. I want to update more often. Thank you for sticking around with this fic, it means a lot to me. I decided to go more canon divergent with this chapter, I hope that's alright. I don't want to go line for line from the series. Im also a sucker for Team Mustang content.
> 
> In this chapter there are mentions of schizophrenia and personality disorders. I've made sure to do some research as to which conditions could best be mistaken for Ed and Al's situation. I myself do not have personality disorders and I am sorry if they are offensive or wrong. Please correct me if that is the case.
> 
> Please give me feedback, theories, and even ideas! I do have a plan for where this is going of course, but it's always good to have ideas bounced towards me! Comments and reviews mean the absolute world to me, so it's must appreciated.
> 
> Thank you so much for your support and please stick with this fic. I'll try to update more often!
> 
> Follow me on tumblr @Katelynwrites or @Awphowonse if you ever want to talk about my fic of FMA in general. I love to talk about this stuff!

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope that this is a good chapter. When I saw the AU on Tumblr I knew I needed to write something for it. This is the longest chapter I have ever written, so I hope everything is up to expectation. Please leave comments if you'd like. They always make my day and keep me motivated to write more. Thank you so much!


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